SOA Season 7 Redone
by SOALOVEATL
Summary: The way I wished the Season 6 Finale would have ended and a different direction Season 7 based on the change in Season 6. I feel that Jax and Tara's love deserved a better ending then death for both. My very first fanfic, please provide any feedback you have.
1. Prologue

Goes AU at the end of Season 6 Finale

Everything up to the end of the Season 6 Finale still happened

TARA DOES NOT DIE

Prologue

Jax walks in with Eli not Juice. Jax sees Gemma holding Tara's head in a sink full of water with the meat fork raised above her head and immediately runs to pull his mother off his wife. Eli immediately grabs Gemma and handcuffs her. He then rushes to where Jax placed an unresponsive Tara on the floor in front of the sink. He calls in on his radio to get an ambulance to be sent to the Teller house STAT and starts CPR. DA Tyne Patterson and the ATF Agent show up at the same time as the ambulance. As she is walking to the front door she notices Gemma in the back seat of a Sheriff's Patrol Car in front of the house. She reaches the front of the house just in time to see an unconscious Tara being wheeled out on the stretcher by EMTs and a distraught Jax following closely behind. He looks into her eyes, pleading with an unspoken request, to go with his wife. She nods at him and enters the house in search of Eli, while Jax heads to the hospital on the ambulance with his wife.

*****DISCLAIMER***** I do not own these characters, I am just playing with them for my own amusement. They are owned by Kurt Sutter and FX.*****


	2. Chapter 1

Tara slowly opens her eyes, it takes a few moments for her blurry vision to focus. Once the haze clears, she realizes that she is in a hospital room. Her head is pounding worse than she's ever felt before and she is very groggy. Still a little disoriented she looks to her right to see Jax, asleep, with his head laid on the bed next to her. At that moment it all rushes back and she remembers go

ing into her kitchen looking for Wayne only to find Gemma coming in from the garage. She remembers the panic that immediately coursed through her body at the evil look in Gemma's eyes. She remembers attempting to flee the house, knowing Eli was just outside the door, but she couldn't make it to the door before Gemma hit her with the iron. She vividly remembers struggling to get free of Gemma's grasp and the last thing she remembers is being submerged in water. She looks down at her husband and frowns. Even in sleep, the stress and worry is clear on his face. He has the weight of the world on his shoulders and it breaks her heart that he can't at least be at peace when he sleeps. Especially since she knows that the years ahead are only going to get worse. Not only will he be locked up alone, without someone to have his back, but he will also be spending the entire time worrying about everyone on the outside. Not being able to protect his family has always been one of his biggest fears.

Just then the door opens and in walks Eli and Tyne Patterson. Both smiled seeing Tara awake.

"So glad to see you are awake Tara, you had me worried." Eli stated with a big smile on his face.

Between the noise of their entrance in the room and Eli speaking, Jax woke up, startled to see Tara awake.

"Tara, oh God, Tara, you're awake. Thank God. I have been so worried about you, you're not allowed to go first, you hear me? I can't live without you." He says with tears forming in his eyes.

"She can't get rid of me that easily Jackson." Tara responds with a sad smile on her face.

"I am so sorry that I did not see how bad things really were between you guys. I never thought…. I mean she's my Mom…. She supposed…. I don't even know what to say except that I can't believe that she would take things that far." He barely gets out the last part as the tears are steadily streaming down his face.

"You are not responsible for your Mother's actions Jackson. You are only responsible for your own actions. I love you Jackson Teller, despite the crazy woman who birthed you." Tara said very sternly, while wiping the tears from his face and pushing his hair back off his forehead.

"I love you too Tara. You and my boys, more than life itself." Jax responded while standing and pulling Tara towards him so their foreheads were touching. He stares into her eyes and repeats "I love you," before crashing his lips into hers for a passionate kiss.

They are interrupted by someone clearing their throat. They stay close to together, Jax now sitting on the side of Tara's bed, looking at the other two people in the room. Eli smirked at Jax and spoke first. "Glad to see the Tin Man has a heart."

Jax laughed and replied "I have always had one when it comes to Tara and my boys. She gave this Tin Man a heart when we were 16 and it has beat only for her ever since." Jax looked directly at Tara while he said the last part, smiling softly, then placed a kiss on her forehead. He then turned back to their visitors and announced "I still plan to turn myself in. I want to honor my agreement, but I need to make sure that Tara is okay and at home with my boys first. I can't let them go without either of us for any amount of time. Once she is cleared and able to take care of the boys I will gladly turn myself in."

To Jax's utter surprise Tyne only nodded her head and said "I agree Jackson, you need to make sure your boys are okay. We will talk about everything once Tara is released. Today I am here to take your statements on what happened last night. We want to move quickly with these statements as the bail hearing will be in a couple days and we want her to be remanded without bail. We do not want her free when you go in."

Once she was done talking Eli spoke up. "Tara are you up to providing us with a statement right now?"

"Yes Eli," she replied quietly. "As long as we can provide them together, I am okay to do it. I need Jax here with me for support and I also need to hear what happened after I was unconscious. "

Everyone agreed and the next few hours went by excruciatingly slow and were extremely emotional for all involved. This was the first time any of them had heard what happened prior to Jax and Eli entering the house, as Gemma refused to give a statement and just asked for her lawyer. It was also the first time that Tara got to hear how she was saved by Jax from being murdered by her own Mother in law in her own kitchen. Tyne made sure to record all the statements so that she could review them over and over to make sure that she had everything perfect. She did not want for Gemma's lawyer to obtain bail based on some technicality. As they left the room Tyne advised Jax if she did not hear from him soon with an update for turning himself in, then she herself would be in touch with him. He just nodded his head and turned his attention back to his wife who he knew was just as emotionally spent as he was.

"So," he said, trying to look as cheerful as possible. "As I see it we have two options right now," At Tara's baffled look he continued, "we can cuddle up on this way too small bed and take a nap together," he smirked as she smiled and started to nod her head indicating that she liked that option, but he continued "or option two, I can call Chibs to bring the boys up to see you." Jax loved the way her eyes lit up at the mere mention of their sons.

It only took her a second to decide what she wanted. "How about option three? You ask Chibs to bring the boys up here in about an hour and a half. That gives us time to see the boys and take a nap together."

He smiles at his wife's choice. "That's why you've always been the brains of this relationship. You always have the best ideas." He told her while getting his phone out of his pocket to make the call, so they could take a nap. Not only was he exhausted, he honestly couldn't wait to properly have his wife in his arms. After almost losing her last night, he couldn't think of anything better to calm his nerves.

Chibs had no problem making sure that the kids were up there to see Tara in an hour and a half and told Jax that Abel had been asking for his Mom and Dad since last night and Thomas had been cranky since he woke up but all and all everything was okay with the boys. He also let Jax know that Eli cleared them to enter the house and by the end of the day the prospects would have everything cleaned up and ready for them to go home to, once Tara was released from the hospital. Jax was relieved that his brothers stepped up and took care of the house without him having to bring it up. It made him feel more at ease about the time he would ultimately be separated from Tara while he was back in Stockton. He never doubted that they would be there for her and his boys, but he knows how stubborn Tara can be and how easy it would be to hide things from him if he was locked up. To know that if his brothers, their real family knew she needed something and hadn't told him, that they would take care of it on their own, helped ease some of his worry about leaving his wife and boys. With a little bit of the weight lifted off his shoulders he cuddled up with Tara in her hospital bed. He wrapped his arms tightly around her and they both feel asleep instantly, being comforted by the other's presence.

What seemed like only minutes later, Jax and Tara were awoken by the sounds of their boys laughing in the hallway. The smiled at each other as the sounds got closer and they heard Chibs strong Scottish accent loud and clear say "Abel, slow down. You're killing your Uncle Chibs here. I am not as young as your Ma or Dah." Tara chuckled amused at the comment, while Jax got up to open the door just in time to snatch up his giggling little monster. At the same time Thomas saw Tara over Jax's shoulder and starting wiggling like crazy, repeating Mama over and over again.

Tara's smile finally reached her eyes as she said "Hey, my babies, I missed you."

Abel looked over at Tara and instantly his smile fell. He looked back at Jax with a worried look and asked "Daddy, how did Mommy get that boo boo?"

Jax frowned, not knowing how to answer that question. How do you tell your almost 5 year old son that the Grandma he loves so much, tried to kill his mother.

Seeing Jax struggle Tara spoke up and replied. "Abel, baby, Mommy doesn't have a boo boo. See no bandages," she lifted her arms to show him that she was bandage free, "I just need to rest and then the doctor will let me go home. Now you and your brother come sit with Mommy and tell me all about the trouble you have been causing for Uncle Chibs."

Seeing Tara in the bed with his sons, Jax couldn't help but smile. His wife was truly in her element when she was with their boys. It was like she was born to be a Mom. Seeing his family together and happy, he knew he was doing the right thing. He was going to miss anywhere from the next 7-20 years of their lives and that broke his heart, but his boys would survive that as long as they were with Tara. If the roles were reversed he doesn't think his boys would be as well off being left with just him and he definitely knows he would not survive without her. Yep, he definitely made the right choice in making a deal with Tyne. His wife and his boys deserved the best life possible and he was determined to make sure he did everything he could to make that happen.


	3. Chapter 2

Tara was released from the hospital the day after she woke up. She thought the first night was good enough and begged the doctors to release her the same day but, they refused. They felt that since she was unconscious the first night that she needed a second night for observation and if there was no other issues through out that night they would release her the next day. Jax stayed at the hospital with her the whole time. The boys stayed with Chibs. Jax tried to convince Tara to stay at Chibs house or a hotel, not to return to the place she was almost killed, but she insisted that they boys needed consistency and needed to get back on their regular scheduled as soon as possible. She shut him down immediately when he brought up the subject of selling the house and her and the boys starting over anywhere she wanted, even outside of Charming. She was adamant that with Gemma behind bars and the Club going legit she would now feel safe. She would feel like her boys had the opportunity to determine their own futures. Most of all she needed to be close for their weekly visitations. That would be her only way to support him and she would not even consider anything less. Jax's heart swelled at her response but he also hoped that she didn't resent him later on for sticking around Charming. He was too selfish however to argue any further. He would just have to wait and see how it all played out.

They got to the house and to his surprise there was no nervousness or hesitancy in Tara's actions. They went inside and she peeked around the corner into the kitchen and actually laughed, when he raised an eyebrow at her in silent question she said, with laughter still in her voice, "I thought that I would have to clean up my own blood and the huge mess that was made, you never left my side, yet the house is spotless."

He smiled at her and responded, "That was all the guys. Probably Chibs idea, but the prospects cleaned everything up. I never even thought about it until Chibs told me they were here."

"Speaking of, when is he bringing my boys and my car back?" Tara questioned with a twinkle in her eye.

The same twinkle Jax has seen many times over since they were teenagers. Jax got closer to her putting his hands on her hips and bringing her body flush with his. He kissed her forehead and then replied, "Whenever I call and let him know we are ready for them." They both stood there, staring into each other's eyes until Tara finally broke and pulled him down to her and brought him into a passionate kiss, letting him know exactly what she thought of that.

They spend the next two hours taking advantage of the empty house. Making love to each other over and over and trying their hardest to memorize every part of each other, so that they would have these memories for the lonely nights ahead, not knowing how many days were left before Jax would have to turn himself in. After taking a shower together and getting dressed, Tara went to get her and the boy's still unpacked suitcases from the living room, while Jax called Chibs to bring the boys home. Tara put the boy's suitcases in their rooms to unpack later on, then returned to her room with her suitcase and put it at the foot of the bed. She sat next to Jax on the side of the bed and took his hand as he stare blankly at the phone still in his hand.

"Is everything okay? Is Chibs going to bring the boys home?" She asked. She was worried by him being so spaced out.

Jax let out a deep sigh and turned to her to say, "Yeah babe, everything is good. The boys will be home in the next 30 minutes. But I need to call Patterson. I don't want her to think that I am backing out, but I want her to give me long enough to make sure that you are okay before I go in."

Tara smiled sadly at that. Jax was always so worried about everyone else. He never took the time to worry about himself. "Just call her and let her know what's going on Jax. No matter what she says we will get through it together as a family. I love you with everything I have and our boys do too. We will figure it all out together." Jax kissed Tara's forehead and dialed the number to the DA, while Tara tightened her grip on his hand to remind him that she was going to be there through it all.

The call to Tyne Patterson went even better than either one of them expected. She actually agreed to allow them a few more days together. Said she would draw up their agreement, send it to Rosen to review and then together with Rosen they would determine a time and place for him to turn himself in. She did however warn him that if he tried to screw her over on this, he would not happy with the outcome. He gave her his word that he would hold up his end of the agreement and thanked her for her understanding.

Jax sits the phone down on the nightstand feeling a little bit better about the situation. Within the next couple of days they will know what is going on with Gemma and know exactly when he will be going back to Stockton. That gave him time to make sure everything would be good at home before he left and also spend some much needed time with his boys and his wife. He would also be able to hold Church and let the guys know who would be in charge while he was in and make sure that they all understood they would continue to run the Club legitimately and that Tara is to be allowed to do as she wishes, unless he specifically tells them otherwise.

By the time Chibs arrived with the boys, Jax and Tara were cuddled together on the couch, laughing hysterically at a rerun of Ridiculousness on MTV. They were laughing so hard they didn't hear the door or anyone enter the house and were startled when Abel threw himself at them on the couch, screaming "Mommy, Daddy."

They looked up to see a smirking Chibs, holding a laughing Thomas who was babbling right along with Abel, "Mama, Dada."

Chibs put Thomas in Tara's open arms and bent down to kiss the top of her head. "So glad you are home Doc. You had us all worried." Chibs told Tara.

"Thanks, Chibs. I am glad to be home too," Tara replied smiling up at Chibs.

Chibs returned her smile and then turned his attention to Jax. "So, how long do we have?"

Jax sighed, "A couple of days probably, maybe a little longer. I am waiting to hear from Rosen to know for sure. I think we should have Church tomorrow and get it out of the way. Let everyone know what's going on and who will be in charge while I am in. I want it to be clear to everyone that Tara is to do as she pleases. If she wants a fresh start with the boys then she gets it. I also need to make sure that all of my shares of everything goes to Tara and my boys. No holding it for me until I get out. I can't have them struggling for years. This needs to be as easy as possible for my family."

Chibs nods his head in understanding. "I agree Jackie Boy, I will let everyone know. Church tomorrow at 7pm sound good?"

Before Jax could respond Tara spoke up. "How about having Church earlier? If you have an earlier Church, then we can have a family BBQ afterwards. You know one last chance for the whole family to spend time together until the welcome home party."

Jax smile proudly at his wife and then looked to Chibs, "How about Church at 4pm and we have all the ladies meet Tara at TM at the same time? We can use the lot even if there is still no Clubhouse, the playground is still there and still plenty of space. We can all gather back there after Church is over and as the Queen wants, have a family BBQ."

"Aye, Jackie Boy. The Queens wish is my command. I will set it all up and make sure that the prospects will get a grill set up at TM. Make a list of what they need to get from the store. I will have them come by in the morning to pick it up. Now you guys spend some quality family time together, while you can."

Tara reached out and grabbed Chibs hand giving it a light squeeze and the two of them shared a sweet smile. Jax smiled at Chibs as well and replied "You got it brother. Thanks, really. For everything. I will see you tomorrow." With that Chibs patted Thomas on his head, gave Abel a high five and left the family alone for the night.

The family of four spent the rest of the day together. Playing games together, watching TV shows together and at Abel's request ordering pizza for dinner, which is something that Tara hardly ever allows. When bed time rolled around Jax bathed both boys and got them ready for bed. While Tara read to Thomas, Jax read Abel his bedtime story, once Abel feel asleep, Jax joined Tara in Thomas' room, so he could finish putting him down and Tara could go clean up the day's mess in the kitchen and living room. They spent the rest of the night making love and taking advantage of the little time they had left together.


	4. Chapter 3

The next day went by quickly. Jax explained everything going on at Church and even though they insisted that there had to be another way to clear Tara; he was adamant that this was the only way that made sense for everyone. He felt that they had cheated the system too many times and he needed to man up for his family. He also made sure that everyone knew that his family's safety was his priority and that Tara was free to do as she thought best and that all his Club money was to go directly to her. He couldn't stress enough how he did not want her to struggle to raise his boys. In the end they all agreed with him.

The family BBQ was also a success. Everyone tried to keep their spirits up, but everyone understood this was pretty much them saying goodbye to Jax for a now. The only ones who didn't really know what was going on was the kids. Jax and Tara were still trying to figure out what to tell the boys and he doubted the other guys ever would explain anything to their own kids. They did pull Ellie and Kenny aside when Lyla got there to let them know that Uncle Jax had to go away for a little while but, anything they needed Aunt Tara would take care of and also reassured them that if they ever needed or wanted to come see him Aunt Tara would bring them with her. He refused to let them feel abandoned once again. They were sad about it, they remembered what it was like when they were younger and Opie did a 5 year stint in Stockton. But deep down Jax knew they would be okay. Tara would make sure of it.

Later that night, after putting the boys down, the same way they had the night before, Jax joined Tara on the couch in the living room. He pulled her into his side, kissed the top of her head and asked, "Do you know exactly how much I love you? You gave me both our boys. Abel wouldn't have made it if it wasn't for you. Thomas wouldn't even exist and I would probably already be dead. If not, I definitely wouldn't be half the man I am today. You make me want to do better, to be better. Remember not long after you came back, you told me that we were just better people when we were with the ones we were supposed to be with. Now, while I don't know what I could possibly contribute to make you a better person, there is no doubt in my mind that you make me a better person. You make up the best parts of me. You and Ope have always been my true North. These next years are going to be so hard on all of us, but knowing that you will be the one raising my boys, being the one teaching them to be the best them they can be, that is what comforts me and lets me know that this is the absolute most important thing that I have ever sacrificed in my life. Sacrificing my freedom so our boys can be raised by their remarkable Mother is the only choice that will not ruin their lives. And the future of my family is my #1 priority. You and those boys come first from now on. I thought that is what I was doing all along, but now looking back I can see how much influence my Mom and even Clay had on my decisions. Even how they manipulated me to make me think I was doing what was best for me, when in reality it was always what was best for them or what they wanted. I will never let that happen again. It will always be you and me deciding what is best together, as a family, from here on out. We will face everything together. I am just so sorry that it took me so long to open my eyes and see how much I was hurting my family."

Tara smiled sadly at Jax, "You're right, from here on out we decide everything together. But you're also wrong, you do make me a better person too." At Jax's skeptical look, Tara put her hand up to stop him from interrupting her and continued, "No, you had your time to speak; now you have to listen to me. I had no life for the 10 years we were apart. School, work and home. That was my whole life. I was miserable. You not only make me the happiest version of myself, but you pull me out of my shell. You allow me to be the real me without fear of what anybody else will think of me. You taught me what unconditional love is. I may have helped save Abel's life, but you gave him life and allowed me to be his Mother. Without you I would not have my sweet, loving, little boy who is a carbon copy of his Dad in looks but somehow 100% my personality. Or my amazing little Thomas, who each and every day does something else that is 100% his Daddy. My little boy who challenges any limit I give him. The older he gets the more I think he should have been a Jackson Jr. He is such a mini Jax in every way possible. You make me better, not only because you make me happy, but because you made me a Mom. You gave me the family I always longed for. You have made all my dreams come true. And of course I know how much you love me, cause I love you just as much in return. Just like I told you back then, we were always meant to be together. It's you and me against the world, always."

Jax pulled Tara back into his side and whispered, "Always" back to her.


	5. Chapter 4

Jax woke up the next morning, still snuggled up with Tara on the couch and to the sound of giggling coming from next to him. He turned his head slightly to see a Pajama clad Abel standing there giggling. "Good morning, Monster," he said to his son, while rubbing his eyes, trying to wake himself up. "What's so funny?" he asked.

Abel pointed at Jax and said "You are Daddy, you and Mommy are supposed to sleep in your bed. Mommy says that it is important that we get a good night's sleep so that we can have a good day."

Jax smiled at his son and said "You're right son, we are supposed to sleep in our bed and a good night's sleep is extremely important, but we fell asleep 'cause Mommy is really tired. We need to be quiet and let her sleep, okay?"

Abel nodded his head in agreement and watched as Jax carefully extracted himself from Tara and repositioned her to be more comfortable in his absence. He then picked Abel up and swung him over his shoulder causing another string of giggles to fall from the boy's mouth. He quickly hushed him and pointed to Tara reminding the 5 year old that she was still sleeping and that they needed to be quiet. Abel covered his mouth with one hand and gave Jax a thumbs up with his other hand, to let him know that he was holding it in and that he wouldn't wake her up. Jax silently chuckled, while shaking his head at his son's antics and carried Abel into Thomas' room with him.

They found Thomas wide awake and standing up in his crib. His face lit up when he saw his Dad and brother enter his room and he let out an enthusiastic string of repeating "Dada" and "Aby" as soon as they entered the doorway. Jax was going to really miss the way his sons seemed to see him as some sort of hero. He knew that by the time he got out of Stockton, they would no longer have those feelings. He just hoped that they wouldn't replace that feeling with anger. He feared that they would be angry with him for missing so much of their lives and not understand why he chose to sacrifice himself for them to have a better life. As Jax watched his youngest son jumping up and down while Abel made funny faces in front of him, he momentarily contemplated getting him an actual bed today. He didn't want to miss that milestone as he had with Abel and he knew it was only a matter of time before he was climbing out of his crib. Honestly he was surprised that he hadn't already.

After quietly feeding both the boys bowls of cereal and getting them dressed, Jax kept both boys in Abel's room. All three Teller men playing together and spending some much needed father/son time, while letting Tara get some much needed rest.

It was after 11am when Tara woke up, surprised that not only was she still on the couch and alone but also that it was after 11am. Her boys never let her sleep that late. She got up and went in search of her family and found them on the floor in Abel's room playing with some toys and laughing. They looked like they were just having a good time with each other. She stayed by the door for a few minutes, just watching them and taking in the sight of pure joy on all three of her guys faces. Her heart hurt at the thought that this would be one of the last times for them to enjoy a moment like this. By the time Jax was released the boys would be too old for this kind of stuff. She quietly made her way back down the hall to retrieve her camera and returned to take a bunch of pictures and a few short videos of her family sharing a normal moment of family fun together. She had just switched back from stills and started her 4th video when Jax noticed her at the door. He gave her his patent Teller smirk and asked "And what do you think you are doing?"

This caused both boys attention to turn towards the door, they both smiled their megawatt Teller smiles and simultaneously said "Morning Mama" and then went back to playing.

Tara smiled at the adorableness of her boys, as she responded to Jax, "I am capturing these wonderful memories you are making with our boys. So they can relive them when they are missing you."

Jax smiled sweetly back at Tara. "Like I said, you're the brains of this operation. Always thinking ahead. Always making sure our boys are taken care of. I don't know how we got so lucky as to snag the perfection that is Mrs. Tara Grace Knowles Teller."

"Well," Tara started before she bent down to kiss the top of both her sons' heads, and then grabbing Jax's hands to pull him up and wrap her arms around his waist. "I can't answer that." She continues as he wraps his arms around her as well, "because I am still trying to figure out how I got so lucky by being blessed with the most amazing husband and soul mate, as well as the two most perfect little boys. We might have had our fair share of problems and heartache, but I have never doubted that you were the one for me. Even when I contemplated taking the deal with Patterson to save myself and the boys, my only hesitation was my love for you and that I knew deep down that you loved us just as much. We were meant to share this life; we just took the long way of getting to that." Jax shook his head at her and smiled as he captured her lips in a passionate kiss. Tara broke the kiss and sighed as she pressed her forehead into his and said "I think I need to get dressed, someone let me sleep the day away and now I have wasted precious hours with my family.

Jax nodded his head and replied "We should both get dressed, while you were sleeping, the men of the house decided that it was time that Thomas got a big boy bed today. Right boys?"

Abel responded first saying "Yep Mommy, Tommy's too big for his crib," the whole time nodding his head with a very serious expression on his little face.

While Thomas threw in his own opinion "Yes Mama, big boy bed. No crib." all the while grinning from ear to ear.

Tara laughed and answered all of them at the same time by saying, "Well sounds like the men have spoken, so I guess we will be going to get Thomas his big boy bed today. While we are at it he needs a new carseat. I keep putting it off because I don't want him to grow up so fast. But I need to just get it over with. We might as well do it all at once."

Jax gave Tara a sad smile. "Unfortunately there is no way to keep either of them from growing up on us. I wish it was a possibility, wished for it while I was away when Abel was little and again now. But all we can do is embrace it and sit back and watch as they become the two greatest men either of us has ever known."


	6. Chapter 5

**Thank you to everyone who has read and reviewed my story. As I said this is my first ever Fanfic, so any and all constructive criticism is welcome! This chapter is fairly long compared to the others. Sorry in advance, it just kind of got away from me and I couldn't find a good place to break it up. I hope you enjoy!**

A couple hours later found the family of four in Jax's Dodge Ram, pulling into the parking lot of a furniture store in Lodi. As Jax turned the truck off he looked over at Tara with a look of disbelief. "How did you find this place?" he asked truly curious to the answer.

Not understanding Jax's look of disbelief, Tara rolled her eyes at her husband. "What? Forget what it looks like from the outside, this place is absolutely amazing. Opie brought me here the last time you were in Stockton. Abel's furniture, the nursery furniture, the new dining room and living room furniture, all came from here." Tara responded almost looking excited about being at the store again.

Jax just shook his head and grinned, allowing her to believe that it was the run down strip mall that had him questioning her about the store. "Alright, then let's go in."

Tara entered the store first, Jax following behind her juggling both boys in his arms. The first thing he heard was the sound of a sweet voice that brought back so many childhood memories. Happy times with him and Ope. "Welcome everyone, oh my Dr. Knowles, it's so great to see you. It has been too long sweetheart. Let me guess time to get out to the last crib that you bought?" At Tara's nod, she continued on "Well I am so glad that you decided to come back to see me. Awe, look at this, you actually brought these adorable little guys with you this time. I finally get to meet them, and this must be your husband." Once the older woman finally looked up at the man holding the two boys in front of her she gasped in shock. "Well, well. My sweet Jackson Teller. Wow both of these boys look exactly like you. This one here," she said patting Abel's arm "could actually pass for you at that age." She then turned back to Tara with a broad smile. "Teller genes are strong ones. Always have been." Turning back to Jax, she continued, "You and Tommy were miniature JT's and now your precious Angels are miniature Jackson's." Her smile was now reaching from ear to ear and Jax's smile mirrored hers. There was a look of total confusion on Tara's face as she watched the two of them interact, then watched as her husband put both boys down and the two embraced in a big hug.

"Man, I have missed you Crys Ia m so sorry I haven't been around to see you in a while." Jax said while he slowly pulled back from their embrace. "How are you doing Crys? Things around here look good. Is business staying strong?" he asked.

Crys smiled fondly at Jax. "Listen to you, always worrying about me. Of course I am doing good. Business is great as always, but enough about all that. I want to know why I was never aware that my sweet Dr. Knowles was your, what? Old Lady? Wife?" Jax held up his left hand proudly displaying his wedding band and Crys' whole face lit up. "Oh how wonderful. I am so happy for you. You found yourself a wonderful wife. But if you sent her to me why didn't you tell me?" she asked.

"I had no clue that she had ever been here until she directed me into the parking lot today. I did 14 months in Stockton. While I was in Ope brought her here to get Thomas' bedroom furniture, Abel a bed when he grew out of his crib and apparently to redecorate my house while I had no say in it." Jax replied, still smiling like a little boy.

"Well," Crys replied immediately "at some point you have to move on from Harley and Reaper paraphernalia and live like the adult you are." She smiled brightly at Jax while he and Tara chuckled at the comment that was so similar to Tara's response when Jax first mentioned the redecorating.

Tara spoke up then, "Ope actually only brought me in the first time. I got the dining room furniture that day. I picked out the Nursery furniture and Abel's bed with Ope's help, but only bought the dining room stuff. There was a young man here that day. Ope didn't talk to him, but I am pretty sure he recognized Ope's kutte. In fact Ope never told me that there was any connection with this store at all. He just said that he and Donna always got their furniture here." Tara looked at Jax who had a sad smile on his face, the same sad smile that he always got when he thought about Opie. But before she could say anything more, Crys spoke up.

"Oh Harry, my sweet, sweet Harry. I sure wish he would have let me know he was coming that day. I would have made sure I was here. We would have met properly and I would have known that my lovely, Dr. Knowles was actually, Mrs. Teller. Also, I would have gotten to see my Harry before he passed away. It had been way too long. I am sorry I missed his funeral, Jax. You know how much you boys mean to me. But, nobody told me until it was too late. I actually found out about him Piney at the same time. I wondered why Piney hadn't been around in so long. He sued to stop by at least every couple months. I was so heartbroken when I found out." Crys said with tears running down her face.

Jax once again brought Crys into his arms and Tara could tell he was trying to hold back his own tears. She still didn't understand what exactly was going on or who exactly Crys was to Jax and obviously Opie, but she could tell that the love this lady had for them and Piney was genuine.

Jax must have been able to read her thoughts cause he finally let her in on the secret. "Crys here was the loving, genuine Mother figure me and Ope always dreamed of growing up. We loved spending time with her when we were little. She treated us kind of like how you treat our boys. Genuine affection and unconditional love. Lenny the Pimp is her brother and she was also Gemma's best friend, until she traded her in for Luann. But Piney made sure that we get our Crys time until we felt that we were too old for play dates. Probably around 13 or so we decided that we needed to do 'manly' things."

Tara laughed at that, "Yes, I remember you two at that age. She was lucky you stopped coming around then, you two were a real handful, whether alone or together."

Jax and Crys both laughed at Tara's comment. Then Crys told Tara, "Trust me I know just how much of little assholes they were. And that's probably why they cut their visits back so much. They didn't want me to lecture then and try to unbrainwash them. I always hated that Gemma drilled into their heads that the Club was the only option they had. They both could have done anything they set their minds too. But no matter how much I loved them, there was no coming between Gemma and what she wanted. Our not seeing eye to eye on the boy's future is actually why she replaced me with the Porn Queen. She didn't want to take a chance that they would believe me when I told them that their futures were wide open before them. You know if it wasn't for me, Gemma wouldn't have even lasted a day when she brought Jackson here home from the hospital. I was at the hospital with her and JT when she gave birth to him. Then I spent the first month in her guest room so that I could be there for her and teach her to how to take care of him. She had never been around babies and had no clue what to do. I taught her to change his diapers, dress him, bathe him and fee him. Unfortunately I could not teach her how to raise him, just how to keep him alive as a baby."

"Well, thank you from the bottom of my heart for all you did. I for one am grateful that you taught Gemma enough to keep him alive, without him I would not have made it this far in life. He has saved me numerous times over. Also, he gave me the greatest gifts I could ever get, my boys." Tara responded while looking at her boys standing next to Jax with a very fond expression on her face.

"Oh, I am so sorry. I shouldn't talk bad about Gemma. Jax, I know how much you love her and I have always tried so hard to refrain from saying any of the bad things I think in front of you. She's your mother; I need to be respectful of that." Crys said with a guilty look on her face.

"How about this," Jax replied to Crys, "let's try to just avoid any talk of Gemma at all. I would love for it to be like that woman never existed at all. She was a poison in my life and to my family. She doesn't even deserve a second thought. She manipulated me my whole life, she had a hand in my father's death, she did everything she could to try to dictate how my boys were raised and when Tara wouldn't bend to her will she tried to run her off, she almost killed my boys by driving high and crashing with them in the car and then even more recently, to top it off she actually attempted to kill my wife to gain control over the boys lives. As far as I am concerned Gemma is dead, I have no Mother and my boys have no Grandmother. " Jax realized that he had vented all his frustrations and looked down at his boys to make sure they weren't paying attention to him. Luckily they were sitting by his feet playing with a couple hot wheels cars that Abel must have had in his pockets. Jax silently thanked Abel for his pocket stuffing abilities that drive Tara crazy.

"Oh my Goodness" Crys said in shock "Jackson, Tara, I am so sorry your family has had to go through all that. I can't believe she would go that far. Well, you just remember that I am always here for you. All of you. I can be the pseudo Mom when you need one and I can be the pseudo Grandma when the boys need it. Whatever you need, whenever you need it, just call me. Now, let's move on to a more happier topic. This little cutie needs a new bed," she said looking down at Thomas, who smiled back up at her. "Oh there it is, that gorgeous Teller smile. You are definitely your Daddy's son." she laughed while ushering them all to the part of the store with kid friendly furniture.

The boys immediately started to climb on different beds. Bouncing and jumping up and down on each one. Tara immediately tried to get them to stop, while all Jax could do was laugh. Crys laughed as well and let Tara know that it was okay and that any little boy needs to properly test out his big boy bed before deciding it is the right one. Tara just smile back at her and said "Look at you, already slipping into the Grandma role. I am pretty sure that the boys are just going to love spending time with you. They are definitely typical Tellers, they expect to be spoiled at all times."

"Well, then we are going to get along famously. I have always wanted to be a Grandma. Spoil them rotten and then send them home." Crys said with a twinkle in her eye.

Both Jax and Tara shared a sweet smile. Both knowing that Tara was going to make sure that that boys got to spend time with her. Jax could tell how found of Crys Tara was and he just knew that Crys would be such a good Grandmother figure to his boys, just as she had been the perfect Mother figure to him and Opie when they were younger. They spend a while in the kids section letting Jax take Thomas from bed to bed in order to find the right one. Once they were positive they had the right bed Jax followed Crys into the back of the store to put the order in, while Tara stayed by the bed as the boys laid down and looked like they were about to doze off on Thomas' new bed.

"How soon do you need this?" Crys asked Jax as they got to the counter with her computer on it.

Jax frowned at her question. "You don't have one in stock? I was hoping to be able to bring it home today. I missed Abel transitioning into a bed from his crib, I was hoping to be a part of it with Thomas."

"Is there something that I am missing here, sweetheart? Why would you miss it if it took me a couple days to get the bed in? What aren't you telling me?" She asked with concern written all over her face.

Jax sighed "We haven't told the boys yet but I am going to be turning myself in soon to do a 7-10 year stretch. Tara offered to help us a while back. We needed to get into contact with Otto after Luann died and he found out she had a thing with Bobby. He went a little crazy and offered the ATF enough info to open a RICO case. Tara volunteered her time in the infirmary so she could try to convince him not to turn. He killed a nurse with a crucifix he convinced her to bring him. They were trying her as an accessory to murder. All because of her love for me. Her loyalty to me. I couldn't let them do that to her. I made a deal with the DA, they dropped Tara's charges and will make sure that her Medical Licenses are not yanked in return for my confession on being the one who sold the gun that the little boy used to shoot up that school in Oaktown not that long ago. And while I may not have put the gun in that little boy's hand, I did actually sell it to the guy who left it where his girlfriend's son could get to it. They want someone to take the fall for what that little boy decided to do that day. So, if it means that my incredible selfless wife gets to stay on the outside to raise my boys then I will gladly take the blame. I have done enough to deserve it, but she had done nothing but love the monster I have become. I would give my whole life if necessary to make sure my wife and my boys are safe."

By the time he was done speaking there were tears running down Crys' cheeks. "Oh my Goodness, Jackson. I am so sorry that you have to go through this. Tell me what I can do to help. You don't deserve this, none of you do. Maybe if I had tried harder to get Gemma to ease up on this whole legacy thing, you wouldn't be going through this." She cried.

"No Crys, this isn't in anyway anything you could have prevented. Gemma would have pushed this life on me regardless. But the good thing is that I brought my Dad's dreams for the Club to life. We are legit now and the guys are going to keep it that way while I am on the inside. My boys will NEVER have to know this way of life. I am going this to make sure they don't spend the rest of their lives looking over their shoulders. So they have choices. For the first time in my life I am putting my family first and going into a decision with no doubts. This is what my family needs." Jax told Crys while the tears kept flowing down her cheeks.

"I understand my sweet Jackson; I am not saying you're making a wrong decision. Just that I wish you wouldn't have to make one at all. You have always had a huge heart, no matter how much Gemma tried to beat that heart down it always shined through. Your capacity to love those you were close with always amazed me. I knew from the day you were born, that you were going to be one Hell of a man when you got older. Clearly you have proven me right with that. You have made some bad decisions, sure, but you have always made them out of love. I know that with a certainty. No one, not even you could convince me otherwise. Now, you only have a few days left with these boys, so no more sad talk, we have years of visitations to do that, because I better be on your visitors list. Right now let's see if we can break my floor model down enough to get it in your truck. You need it right now more than I do." Crys then stood up, wiped the tears off her face and hugged Jackson quickly then went around the counter to pick up a small toolbox.

Jax took the toolbox from her hands and wrapped his arm around her shoulder as they walked back to where Tara and the boys were waiting. They got closer and both smiled at the sight of Tara in the bed with one boy snuggled on each side of her. Both boys were sound asleep and Tara was softly singing to them while brushing her hands through their hair. She looked up when she saw them out of the corner of her eye and smiled back at them. "Sorry," she said "but it is nap time in the Teller household and they are pretty good at staying on schedule. "

"Well, then let's not break their schedule." Crys said to Jax and Tara and then turned to look at Jax directly, "Why don't you leave the boys here sleeping. I will watch them and you take your beautiful wife to lunch, just the two of you. By the time you get back they should be awake and my part time help, Stevie, should be here to take the bed apart so you can take it home with you."

Jax smiled at Crys, "That sounds like a great idea to me. Just watch Thomas, he is used to the bars of his crib keeping him in check and he is definitely naturally curious like me. There is no telling what he could get into before you figure out he is even awake."

"Oh, that won't be anything new to me. I had to deal with a toddler. Besides I have always loved kids who love mischief." She said to Jax with a huge grin on her face.

Tara extracted herself from between her two boys, careful not to wake them up. She then repositioned the boys closer to each other, directly in the middle of the bed. She placed a gentle kiss on each of their foreheads. Then she turned to Crys, "It does sound like a great plan. But, are you sure that you are up to watching these two? They may look like Angels right now, while they are sleeping peacefully. But trust me they are all Teller. There is a reason their Dad calls them little monsters."

"Yes, I am sure," she responded without hesitation. "Trust me if I could handle both Jackson and Harry in the peak of their terrible twos at the same time by myself then I can handle's these two."

Jax laughed at that. "Yes my little monsters are definitely Angels compared to me and Ope. So if you're sure you want to do this, then I would love to take my beautiful wife out to lunch.


	7. Chapter 6

Lunch flew by quicker than they expected, but they definitely enjoyed their alone time in a nice restaurant. It had been way too long since they had the opportunity to do that. After lunch they stopped and got a new car seat for Thomas. They got back to the furniture store to find Crys on the floor coloring with Abel and Thomas. Jax also noticed when he came in that the bed had been broken down and was not too far from the door waiting to be loaded in his truck. They could hear quiet voices but could not make out what they were actually saying and they could hear the boys adorable giggles in between them talking. Thomas noticed them first and happily yelled "Mama." When Abel looked up he smiled and yelled "Daddy."

Tara laughed at their enthusiasm and said "Hey my babies, did you guys have fun while we were gone?"

Thomas nodded his head yes and then continued to color, while Abel said "We had a lot of fun. When we woke up MiMi made us sandwiches and gave us grapes and juice. Then we helped Stevie take the bed apart so it can go home with us for Tommy's room. Now we are coloring and telling funny stories. And MiMi said that we can come back one day when Mommy needs a nap and she will show us pictures of Daddy when he was little like us."

Jax smiled at how excited Abel sounded. "Wow, sounds like you are having a blast with MiMi. Daddy used to have lots of fun with MiMI when I was a little boy too. She is definitely a lot of fun to be around." he said then turned to smile at Crys.

"I'm sorry Jackson, I should have asked first, but they wanted to know my name so they could stop calling me lady and I figured Grandma would just confuse them, so I told them to call me MiMI. I hope you don't mind." Crys said looking a little worried about his reaction.

Jax was already shaking his head but before he could speak Tara spoke up and said "Oh no, Crys, that is actually perfect. And I am sure I will take you up on that nap at some point. I mean, yes I have done this once before, but during that 14 months I actually had Gemma around and we got along pretty well during that time. I also had Ope who was amazing to me and the boys the whole time. Oh and Piney, he was so good to the boys and me, well when he was sober and not at the cabin, anyway. But this time I won't have any of them. I know I will have the Club but, it will be great to know there's someone else out there if I need them. Someone who the boys have obviously taken a liking to very quickly, which doesn't happen often."

"Thank you Tara. That means so very much to me. Your boys are amazing. I can tell they have great parents, teaching them how to be the best versions of themselves. It will be an honor to be there for you guys. I am willing to watch them whenever you need me to." Crys told Tara. They all smiled at each other, and then Crys continued. "So, MiMi has taken up too much of your family time already. I'll get Stevie to help load the bed up so you guys can be on your way. Get that bed put up in son's room and make the most of this milestone in his life. And Jax if possible, you come back and see me, if not I better be added to your list." With that she wrapped her arms around Jax, stretched up on her tippy toes and kissed his cheek. Once she backed out of his embrace, she wiped the tears off her own cheeks and quickly said "let me get Stevie" before disappearing before Jax could even respond.

Tara cuddled up to Jax's side and slipped her arm around his waist. She gently squeezed him while she said "I really like her. I am so glad she was there for you as a kid and even more so that the boys will now get a Grandmother figure that is going to love them unconditionally, as it should be. She's pretty awesome."

Jax smiled down at Tara and then placed a kiss on her forehead. "You're right she is awesome. I just wish I had kept her more involved in my life as I got older. But you know better than anyone that I have a habit of pushing away those I love to keep them safe. Crys was one of the good ones in my life, like you. I would have never forgiven myself if something happened to her. But now that the immediate dangers are not an issue, I hope my boys will appreciate her as much as I did."

It only took a few minutes for Jax and Stevie to load the bed in the truck. Crys tried to refuse Jax's money for the bed but he would not allow her to and finally just left the money on the counter by the register and walked away. Crys hugged both boys goodbye and kissed each one on the top of the head, promising both of them that she would see them soon. She then embraced Tara in a tight hug and promised her she would see her soon too. Then it was time to tell Jackson goodbye. Tara got in the truck after buckling the boys into their car seats, hoping to give Jax and Crys some privacy. As hard as she tried Crys couldn't keep the tears at bay and they ran slowly down her cheeks. Jax wiped her tears with his thumbs and then pulled her into a fierce hug. "Thank you Crys, for everything you have ever done for me and everything I know you will do for my wife and boys. You are an amazing woman and I am so grateful to have you in my life. I love you Crys. It may have been years since I told you, but I never stopped. I see a lot of the same traits that drew me and Ope to you in Tara and I know with you in their lives, everything will be okay. I won't be back before I go in. Not enough time. But I will have Tara let you know when you're approved for visitation." He slowly pulled away pausing to kiss her cheek.

She smiled sadly up at him and said "I love you the same as I have since the day you were born. Distance and time will not change that. You take care of yourself. Stay whole and I will see you as soon as I am able to."

Jax gave her one more, quick hug then walked to the driver side of the truck and got in. They all waved goodbye to Crys as they pulled out and Jax noticed in the rearview mirror that she stayed outside watching them drive away, at least until he could no longer see her store. There was a little bit more weight lifted off Jax's shoulders that day. He was so grateful to Opie. He couldn't believe that he never thought to bring Tara to meet Crys. But once again Opie had his back, without even realizing it; he made Jax's life a little easier. They sang nursery rhymes together on the way home, which kept the boys giggling in the backseat the whole time. When Jax stopped for gas he called Chibs to have the prospect come set the bed up at the house.

To Jax's surprise he pulled up to his house to find a driveway full of bikes. Tara frowned and turned to Jax, "Club business?" she asked.

He could hear the disappointment in her tone. "No," he replied "I just spoke with Chibs and he didn't mention anything. I thought he was sending the prospect to help with the bed. Looks like the whole Club wants to see Tommy get his big boy bed."

Tara smiled at that. "I guess that is what family does, right?" then turned to the boys in the backseat. "Look boys all your Uncles are here to see you. " They both got out of the truck and got the boys out of their car seats. As soon as the boys were put down on their feet they ran to where the guys were all sitting on their bikes.

"So, was everyone here demoted to prospect? Cause, that will definitely make for a lot of fun while Jax is away. Oh, can I stand in as acting President? That would be so much fun. To be able to get everyone of you to do whatever shitty thing I tell you to. Can we start right now?" Tara joked with a big smile on her face.

"Oh come on Doc, you don't have to be acting President to get your way. You are the Queen of Charming. Anything you want we will make happen. You know that." Chibs said while pulling Tara into his side and giving the top of her head a kiss.

"Thanks Chibs, I love all you guys too." Tara told Chibs before giving his waist a quick squeeze. Then moving over to where Juice was holding Thomas on his bike she picked him up and then turned to Abel, "Come on baby, let's go inside." Abel huffed and puffed but he listened and followed behind Tara.

Bobby laughed at the little boy's antics and turned to Chibs, "Hey brother doesn't that remind you of someone else about 30 years ago, when his Mom or Dad would make him leave the men and bikes to go inside?"

Chibs laughed a full belly laugh and replied "Exact replica of the scenes he used to make."

"Well, at least we know he will grow up to be an extremely handsome man and not some ugly motherfuker like the rest of you guys." Jax laughed as he patted Chibs on the back. Then he turned to the prospect and said "Hey, prospect, go on inside and have Tara show you were the toolbox is so you can take down the crib." The new prospect they had just recruited seemed like he was going to be a good fit with his brothers. Happy sponsored him and everyone already thought that he seemed to show a lot of promise. After he watched the prospect go inside the house he turned back to the guys and asked "So, is this a social call or was Tara's assumption correct and there is Club business that no one wanted to bring up on the phone?"

"Nah, Jackie Boy," Chibs was the first to respond. "This is a completely social visit. We all wanted to see the wee one's face light up when he got to see his new bed in his room."

"Alright then, let's get inside and see if my Old Lady feels like putting on a spur of the moment family dinner. She might kill me for asking, but I would love to have a night with my family in whole." Jax said as everyone started heading for the front door. Chibs held back for a moment watching as the others walked out of the hearing distance and Jax gave him a perplexed look and asked "What's up brother?"

"Nothing like that, brother. Stop worrying. I brought Bobby up to speed on Juice. He feels we should talk to Nero, get some more information before we decide what to do. He has been so messed up in the head. That night he supposedly said something to Nero, he OD'd, almost died all because of the shit going on in his head. We put a call into Nero, but he wants you to be present. Said you two need to clear the air before you go in. He sounded pretty broken up himself." Chibs responded to Jax's question.

"Alright brother, set it up. But make it at 11am at Scoops. I need to make sure to spend as much time as possible with Tara and our boys. 11am is nap time. If all goes well, the boys won't even know I was gone." Jax stated. Chibs only nodded his head in agreement, a sign to Jax that he understood and would make it happen. With that settled for now, the two made their way into the house to join the others.

"Hey Babe," Jax says as he approaches Tara with a huge smile on his face. Tara gave him back a 'what do you want now' look and he laughed, before continuing "how about a family dinner? Would that be too much to pull off on this short of notice?"

Tara just shook her head at him and chuckled. "I could probably make that happen but, I will need to make a run to the grocery store for a few things. How about Bake Ziti, Salad and Garlic Bread? I could definitely make that happen on short notice."

"Sounds perfect," Jax agreed "but make a list of what you need, including more beer and I will send Juice to pick it all up. I want you here with me and the boys when we get the bed together."

Tara reached up on her tip toes and gave her husband a quick kiss before retreating to the kitchen to make her list. Jax entered the living room and laughed and that sight before him. Both his boys were currently using Juice as a jungle gym and by the look on his face it was pretty painful. Jax looked around the room and notice that only the prospect was missing. "Who is supposed to be supervising the prospect so he doesn't fuck something up? Oh and Juice, go see Tara in the kitchen she is going to give you a list of what she needs from the store to make dinner for everyone."

There was a small chorus of 'Yays' and 'Thank Gods' at the mention of Tara making dinner. Juice got up and went into the kitchen to find Tara and Bobby spoke up. "Prospect already has the crib taken apart and is currently putting all the pieces in the garage. Can he carry the bed pieces by himself while we watch or does he need help?"

Jax shook his head and said "Man I love how messed up you guys are. You do realize we could all carry a piece and it would be in the room in one trip. But, hey what are prospects for if not to laugh at while they prove themselves. Have we figured out a road name yet?"

Happy picked then to speak up. "Nah man, we haven't. We were hoping that you would do it. You always pick the good ones. Like Half Sack, Ratboy, Filthy Phil. We wanted him to have one of your originals."

"Okay, let's see what I can come up." Jax agreed. At the same time the prospect was coming back in from the garage. "Speak of the devil and he shall appear. Prospect, the bed for Thomas' room is in the back of my truck. Bring it in, but before you put it together see if my wife wants you to rearrange the furniture." Jax said with a smirk.

"Sure thing, Jax," the prospect responded and then continued "by the way I put the crib in the garage, if you want me to I can come by with the van tomorrow to get it out of here and pit it in the storage unit for you."

"Thanks," Jax said, honestly surprised that he was taking that initiative, "but when you're done you can put it in the bed of my truck, I am going to be over that way tomorrow, I can drop it off." With that the prospect nodded his head and walked away.

Jax then turned to Happy and asked "What's this kid's name again?"

Happy laughed and answered "Andrew Kofield, but he goes by Drew. Take that and do your best with it." As Happy finished talking Tara and Juice came back in the room from the kitchen. Tara walked straight over to Jax and wrapped her arms around his waist. He put one arm around her shoulders and pulled her into a quick kiss.

"Got the list all squared away?" he asked her.

"Yep, all set. Just wanted to make sure no one else needed anything before he heads out." Tara said the last part to the whole room. After all the guys shook their heads indicating they did not need anything Juice left.

Jax then turned to Tara and said "the prospect is bringing the bed into Thomas' room. I told him to check with you before he started to put it together. I didn't know if you planned on rearranging things. Also, if you are ready to move the daybed out now, he can take it apart and put it in the back of my truck with the crib. Just tell him what you want."

"Well, I don't think I want to rearrange until I remove the daybed and for now I think we should keep the day bed. What if their MiMi wants to spend the night?" Tara asked.

Before Jax could respond, Chibs spoke up and asked "Or Uncle Chibs?"

Then Bobby chimed in "Or Uncle Bobby?"

Happy refusing to be left out asked "Or more importantly, Uncle Happy?"

Then Tig spoke up, causing everyone to laugh when he chimed in with "Uncle Tig too, but the rest of these motherfuckers can sleep on the couch."

After the laughter died down, Bobby spoke up again asking "But seriously, who is MiMi?"

"We bought the bed from Crys today. She watched the boys so we could have a quiet lunch, just the two of us. They fell in love with her. Just like me and Opie had as kids. I want the boys to have a good Grandmother figure in their lives. And she is perfect for that. She thought being Grandma would be too confusing since Abel is old enough to remember Gemma is my mother. So she told them to call her MiMi." Just as Jax finished talking his phone rang. He took it out of his pocket and looked at the screen. He then looked at Tara as he let go of her and simply said "Rosen" before sadly smiling, kissing her forehead and heading to the kitchen, while answering the phone.

Tara smiled softly at her boys who were quietly playing together on the play mat by the fireplace. She then turned to Chibs and said "I'm going to go let the prospect know what we want, will you keep an eye on the monsters for me?"

"Of course I will." Chibs replied.

Tara just nodded in response and headed down the hall. She let the prospect know how she wanted the bed and to leave everything else the same for now. She then made her way into her own bedroom and sat down on the side of the bed wishing that she would just wake up and find out that this was all a dream. That she never brought Otto that crucifix and that Jax was not about to do a 7+ years sentence to keep her out of prison. She just wanted a way to keep her family whole. But she knew that the reality was that their time as a family of 4 was limited for the foreseeable future. Jax entered the room and made his way over to her. She looked up at him with a sad smile. "So what's the plan? How long did Rosen give you before he has you turn yourself into Tyne and the ATF guy?"

"Well," Jax started "I have until Friday. Friday at 2pm we will meet either here or at Rosen's office. I need to let him know by Wednesday. So we have almost a whole week together still, since today is Saturday. But Rosen also told me that Gemma's arraignment was yesterday. Tyne mentioned that she needed to call me with an update and he said that he would update me, since he had to call anyway. The judge agreed with Tyne's request for remand without bail. She will stay locked up until she goes to court. She also entered a plea of not guilty. She is trying to pass it off as just a family disagreement that got a little physical. Claims there was never any threat to your life and unfortunately she is bringing up the "assault" at the hospital and subsequent "miscarriage". However Rosen said that Tyne does not believe any of that will be an issue in this case. Rosen also agrees that it should not play any part in how people see the events of that day. Says there is no way Gemma can prove that it was all a lie and since you were an employee at the hospital at the time, the test being done on the hush wouldn't be abnormal. Also said that with her background and everything on record with her life choices, that they would be stupid to try to attack your character. She doesn't have a bit of positive to her own character. Evidently in both their experience most juries don't react well to a defense attorney trying to tear apart the victim's character when they aren't even the one that is on trial. Rosen is going to work closely with Tyne on this. With your testimony and Eli's it should a slam dunk. Add in mine, her own son and it is practically an open and shut case. They both feel that we have nothing to worry about. So, now that, that particular weight has been lifted from my shoulders, we can focus on this next week. Rose will have the official deal from Tyne on Monday to review and make any changes, so by Wednesday when we let him know where to want to do this, the deal should be all ready to go. Then Friday I will turn myself in. I was thinking we should wait until the last minute to tell the boys. I don't want my last week with them to have that sadness hanging over their heads. I just want my last week to be filled with happy family time. Good memories for all of us."

Tara who had stayed quiet the whole time that Jax was talking, wiped the tears from her cheeks and smiled the best she could down at him. "We will take it one day at a time and together, as a family, we will pull through. Whether it is this whole mess with Gemma or you being in Stockton or anything else life wants to throw at us. Together we will figure it all out. We both just have to trust and have faith in the other. No more running. Now, I think we need to go make more of these happy memories you referred to. Oh, and you just let me know when you're ready to talk to the boys. Whenever you're ready, we do it together." With that Tara stood up, reaching out and pulling Jax up with her, then tugging on his hands to pull him towards the door. "Now, let's go make some happy family memories and then tonight we will make some more naughty memories, just the two of us. All night long."

Jax smirked as he tugged Tara's hand to pull her flush to him. "Definitely" was all he said before he leaned in and gave her a bruising kiss, filled with all the promises of what would come later on. They didn't pull apart until the need for air was unbearable. Once they did pull apart they spent another moment standing in each other's arms with their foreheads pressed together. When they finally pulled apart they both smiled at each other and then made their way back to the living room where all the guys were. They boys were actually outside with Uncle Happy, playing on their swing set. Juice had just gotten back with the groceries and beer. Tara left the guys in the living room so Jax could update them on what he now knew and went into the kitchen to prepare dinner for her family.


	8. Chapter 7

A few hours later found Tara sitting on her back patio, looking around at all the guys in the club, in her family, as they ate and told stories and just genuinely spent time together as a family, She was so grateful for this moment. The love of her life by her side and surrounded by the brothers who he loved so much and her boys at their own little table next to them eating and carrying on their own little conversation about whatever it was the two little boys were smiling and laughing about. She had no doubt in her mind at that moment, she was definitely exactly where she was supposed to be. She looked over at Jax, who was sitting next to her, to find him smiling at her. "What's going on in that beautiful brain of yours?" He asked her.

"Just counting my blessings," she replied easily with a soft smile on her face. With that Jax's smile got two times bigger and he leaned in and kissed his wife. He knew that he was lucky to have her. He only hoped that the next 7+ years weren't too hard on her. After everything they had been through, he couldn't loose her now. Later that night, once all the guys were gone and both boys were sound asleep, Jax and Tara were cuddled on the couch reminiscing about their High School days and the crazy things that they had done together and most the time with Opie and sometimes Donna too. Jax noticed that Tara had gotten quiet.

"What's wrong, babe? And don't try that counting my blessings bullshit again. I can tell something serious is rattling around in that big brain of yours."

Tara searched Jax's eyes for a moment before caving and telling him what she was thinking. "I feel like Opie & Donna's kids are really struggling with Lyla, I know she is doing her best and that things are really hard for her right now and I know she loves them. But I am not sure how capable she is of taking care of them. I worry about them. Her lifestyle is not something that Donna would have approved of for her kids to be around."

At that Jax interrupted her, "Lyla does the books at Diosa, but she doesn't take care of the clients except sometimes matching them with the girls. Once Redwoody is up and running she will be directing movies but no more in front of the cameras."

Tara took his pause as her opportunity to interrupt him, "I'm not talking about the Whore House or Porn Central. I'm talking about the drug use. A couple weeks ago I saw a couple viles of coke in her purse when he asked me to get her cigarettes. And about a week before that I heard Kenny telling Ellie not to tell anyone about the drugs in the house cause if they take them away from Lyla then they would be separated and never see each other again. It was just so sad. I wanted to tell you, but you were so distant and you had so much going on. I just feel like there has got to be another way. Ope & Donna were so much a part of our lives. Don't we owe them more then just making sure their kids stay alive. Don't we owe them enough to make sure that their kids actually get the lives that they deserve?"

Jax smiled at how huge Tara's heart really was. "So what do you propose we do?" he asked her.

"I am not really sure. I think we need to decide together. Take some time to figure out our options. I was thinking about possibly talking to Crys, but I figure she may not really be up to being a full time guardian. Worse case scenario, if it's the only choice left, then they should come live with me. I know it would be a lot of work and it's not really ideal, especially with you being gone. But it is an option we need to consider if it comes to that. I just want them to have a chance at a real future." Tara answered.

Jax sighed, deep down he worried about her raising 4 kids on her own and growing to resent him. But he knew it was the least they could do for Opie & for Donna. "Let's get through this week and spend some time trying to find out all our options. Then we'll discuss them and together we will figure out the best way to go about this. But, yes we definitely owe it to Donna and Ope to make sure they have the best life they can."

After the serious conversation about Opie's kids was done, Jax and Tara retreated to their room and got lost in each other for the remainder of the night and well into the morning. Trying their best to make memories that they will be able to hold onto in the years to come.

Sunday morning Jax and Tara spend lounging around and being lazy around the house with the boys. Jax and the boys watched cartoons while Tara cooked pancakes and bacon for breakfast. They then ate breakfast together picnic style on a blanket on the living room floor. At 11am the boys went down for their naps just like every other day and Jax kissed Tara good bye, promising to be home as soon as possible.

He went by the storage unit first and dropped off the crib. He then headed to Scoops to meet with the guys before Nero showed up. When he got to Scoops they were already open for business and Chucky let Jax know that both Bobby and Chibs were already upstairs waiting in the Chapel for him. He let him know to send Nero up when he got there and then went upstairs himself. While waiting for Nero to show up the 3 men discussed options for the Prospects Road Name. Jax was trying to come up with a good one, but with his mind so preoccupied, he was having a hard time. He asked them to tell him some stuff about him and they told him that he was from Bakersfield, which was apparently how Happy knew him. They told him how he gave 9 years of his life to the US Army, signed when he was 18 and was discharged less then 6 months ago. Jax had to push thought of Half Sack out of his mind to focus on the task at hand. Chibs said that the kids final assignment was as a Green Beret Sniper for the US Army Special Forces Counter Terrorism Team. He was stationed in Ft. Bragg NC for the last 2 years of his service, but most of that was spent in the desert. Jax remembered a story his Dad and Piney used to tell him and Ope about a friend that they had in Nam. He was also a Green Beret, they told them that the Green Beret's has a nickname through out the Army of "Breaded Bastards" and Jax really wanted to give him that Road Name, just because he felt it would somehow honor his time in the service and honor JT and Piney's friend. He really had no other ideas except Sniper and that was about as unoriginal as they come. "Alright," Jax finally spoke up. "I vote for the Prospect's Road Name to be Bearded Bastard. We can call him Bass for short." Both Bobby and Chibs stared at Jax like he had lost his mind. So Jax explained "It's a nick name that the Army has for Green Berets. My Old Man and Piney were friends with one in Nam and they used to call him that." With that explanation both Bobby and Chibs agreed to bring it to the table at church. "Hey if you guys come up with something better, go with it. That's all I got right now." He finished.

After a few more minutes of sitting around and shooting the shit with each other Nero finally walked in. "Sorry I am late Mano, had to stop and sign some papers for my son," he told Jax before sitting across from him.

"Everything okay?" Jax asked

"Oh yeah, it's all good, just routine stiff. Tests and things. Nothing new," Nero responded. After a brief silence Nero continued, "Look Jax, I know you want to talk about Juice but we need to clear the air first. I love you, Mano. But what you did, look me in my face and lie to me, that is a disrespect I don't know what to do with. That hurts my soul, Mano. I just don't understand."

Jax nodded his understanding and replied, "I get it Nero. Trust me I do. I never meant for you to feel disrespected. If anything I was trying not to loose your respect. You know how it is when you're in charge. You have to make some hard decisions. I had to do what was best for my brothers, for my club. I made a really tough call that day, but I didn't want you to think of me as a monster. I didn't want to loose you from my life. We aren't just partners in Diosa, Nero. We're family. Even with out Gemma, you are family to me. I was trying to protect that, just as I was trying to protect my brothers."

All 4 men were silent for a few minutes while Nero let that all sink in. Then finally Nero replied to Jax, "I get it, Mano. I know all about making those tough decisions. I know sometimes you have to sacrafice yourself for what you think is best for your club. But in order for this family love to keep flowing there has to be honesty. I would have preferred you to be honest and we fight over that day's choices then to feel disrespected by you."

Jax nodded his understanding and said, "I get that brother, from now forward, no more lies. Just remember that I warned you, somethings in my past will make you see the monster I am deep down. I am warning you now, my life, my secrets are not pretty. I am trying to change that going forward but I can't change my past."

Nero sighed, "Jackson, I would never hold your past against you. I only care about the choices you make in the present and future. All I ask is that we both be honest with each other and show each other respect. Families don't always agree, they just have to stay respectful or they will quickly become broken."

Jax stared at Nero for a moment before he replied, "You're right brother, respect and trust are the 2 most important things in any family. And on that note I am going to trust your opinion on what to do with Juice. I know his head was all fucked up, but he betrayed a brother and his club. He broke our trust. What do we do from here? I can't go inside worrying about his mental stability or his loyalty."

Nero sighed once again and hung his head. "The OG in me knows where you are coming from. The regular man in me that saw the torment he was in that night he OD'd at Diosa feels nothing but sadness for him and wants to protect him from your wrath. Juice was so messed up, Jackson. If you had only seen the pain in that kids eyes when he told me. The guilt was tearing him apart and the drugs magnified those feelings. He was in a bad way, Mano. I hate to see him crucified just because he had a brief loss of control of his conscience. It's your choice, as a club, how to deal with it. But take my word for it when I tell you that he in no way set out to betray anyone or the club's trust. That betrayal and lack of loyalty was never intentional."

Jax nodded his head to let Nero know that he heard everything he said. "We will discuss it as a club and decide from there. Thank you for your insight. Now, if you don't mind I have an absolutely gorgeous wife and 2 little carbon copy monsters of myself that I have too little time left with. I need to get home to my family. I hope we are good now, 'cause I love you brother and I don't want to loose our friendship."

Nero smiled genuinely at Jax as he responded. "Yeah man, we're good. I'll wait to hear from the guys on who will run point on Diosa and what we will do while you're gone. Now, go home and make happy memories, Mano. You'll need them. And make sure that I am on your visitors list, anything you or Tara and the boys need, someone just needs to ask. I got you."

Jax grinned as he wrapped Nero in a hug and said, "Thank you, Nero. For everything." Jax then patted Chibs and Bobby on the backs with a promise to talk to them later. He briefly stopped downstairs with Chucky to fill a bag with candy for the boys and get a pint of ice cream to bring home. He was smiling as he walked out the door thinking about how mad Tara was going to be about the bag of candy, but how due to the circumstances she would bite her tongue, at least in front of the boys.


	9. Chapter 8

Jax got home to find Tara at the kitchen table with her laptop, uploading all the pictures and videos she had taken the last few days. Jax put the ice cream in the freezer and put the bag of candy down on the counter before walking over and placing a kiss on the top of Tara's head. "Everything go okay?" She asked.

"Yeah babe, everything is great," he responded with out hesitation.

She smiled up at him before responding, "I'll just be a few more minutes. The boys are playing in Abel's room, but they are a little too quiet, maybe you should go see what your monsters are up to in there."

Jax smiled and nodded his head in agreement before heading down the hall to Abel's room. Jax stood in the doorway for the first few moments, just watching his boys building things out of blocks. He once again got sad thinking of all the things he would miss out on. He then shrugged the sadness away, he would have plenty of time for that over the upcoming years. He plastered his best smile on his face and cleared his throat, getting both the boys attention. He then let a genuine smile shine through as both boys faces lit up at seeing him standing in the doorway. The smile got even broader as he heard Abel's cheerful voice say "Daddy" at the same time that Thomas shouted "DaDa". Both boys got up off the floor and ran to Jax throwing their arms around his legs. "How do you guys feel about watching a movie this afternoon?" He asked and both boys responded "Yes" and took off immediately for the living room, no doubt to find a movie.

Jax followed not far behind them, smiling at Tara's confused look. "Family movie time," He said simply, shrugging his shoulders. He grabbed the bag of candy off the counter and went to find the boys in the living room. As he walked in the living room, he couldn't help the smile that spread across his face at the sight he found. His boys had not only picked out a movie but had already spread a couple blankets on the ground and were laying on their stomachs with their elbows resting on some pillows, while their chins were resting on their hands. Both boys already completely immersed in the cartoon on the TV. He looked down at the movie sitting between them and couldn't help but chuckle. His boys loved to watch Cars. He swore they must have known the movie word for word, with how many times they have seen it by now. "Are you monsters really sure you want to watch Thunder McKing again?" He asked with the most innocent face he could manage.

Abel's eyes got wide as he stared at his Dad with a look of total disbelief, while Thomas looked utterly confused, at the same time Tara entered the room. She first noticed the look on her husband's face and how he looked to be barely holding in laughter. Then she noticed how her boys were looking back at their father. "What's going on in here boys?" she asked looking directly at her sons.

"Daddy called Lightening McQueen, Thunder McKing." Abel said in his most serious voice, his tone very stern. Then Thomas' little voice chimed in with his standard response of "Yeah".

It took everything Tara had to hold back the laughter that threatened to come out as she looked at Jax who was still struggling to suppress his own laughter. "Well then," she started as she turned back to her boys, "I guess that it's a good thing we are going to be watching cars today. It will give him a refresher so he will not forget his name again, huh? We better make sure he pays better attention this time, so he wont forget again."

Abel looked thoughtfully at his Mom and then his Dad, "Daddy, you better lay down here with me and Tommy. That way we can make sure you pay attention." Abel stated still using his serious voice. "Here," Thomas said as he patted the blanket between him and Abel.

Jax finally let a small laugh escape as he took in the seriousness of both his boys. "Okay Monsters, but there isn't enough room for all of us on your blankets down there. Where will Mommy lay to watch the movie?"

Abel looked at his Dad like he had lost his mind. "She doesn't need to pay attention Daddy. Mommy knows their names." he said. While Thomas threw in another "Yeah".

After adding another blanket and pillow to the floor so that all 4 of them could snuggle together on the floor. Tara started popping popcorn while Jax got the movie setup. Once everything was ready and they were all laying on the floor in front of the TV with popcorn and juice, Jax spread the candy out on the blanket in front of the boys and watched as their eyes got wide as the smiles spread across their little faces. At the same time Tara hit his arm and hissed, "Seriously?" Shaking her head at him when he turned to her with that famous Teller smirk just to wink at her and turn back to the boys. "As long as you promise not to get too hyper you can eat as much as you want," he told both his boys. Tara just shook her head as both boys nodded at their father and responded "Promise" at the same time. As soon as Jax nodded his head at them they dug in.

The family of 4 had a lazy afternoon. They watched both Cars and Cars 2 while the boys pigged out on candy and popcorn. Then they went to the diner to pick up dinner. They ate their dinner picnic style at the park. After dinner they let the boys play on the playground, to work off some of the excess energy from all the sugar they had consumed. Tara leaned back against Jax on the blanket and together they watched their boys having fun playing with not just each other but the other kids that were currently playing on the playground. Both taking in as much comfort from being with each other as possible, knowing that it would be along time before they would get to do things like this again. After the sun started to set they went home to relax and have some more quiet family time before putting their now exhausted boys to bed. Once the boys were asleep Jax and Tara fell into bed themselves and spent the next couple hours having their own quality time together before wearing each other out and falling asleep themselves.


	10. Chapter 9

AN - Sorry it took so long to update. Unfortunately my laptop crashed and I had to buy a new one so I lost all the chapters I already had done, then there was the holidays and family time along with my job being super busy. But I have not given up, there might just be a longer wait between chapters then I originally wanted there to be. I hope you enjoy this chapter and let me know what you think.

Monday morning Jax woke to an empty bed and could hear Tara and the boys in the kitchen. He threw on some sweat pants and went to find them. He entered the kitchen and smiled at the scene of his wife and sons. They were all at the kitchen table eating bowls of Cheerios. They were giggling and carrying on about something he wasn't privy to. He stood there for a while just taking in the happiness of his family. This is what life was all about. This was why he was doing what he was doing. The love he felt in his heart at the sight of his family made all the pain he would go through missing them worth it.  
The next couple of days went by pretty quickly. The family of 4 spent a lot of time together. Jax wanted to make as many happy memories as possible with his family. He was terrified of the possibility of that his boys would not need him at all by the time he got out. He knows that Tara was going to bring them to visit and that she would never let them forget him or how much he loves them, but he was worried about everything he was going to miss. All the day to day things and all the milestones. As it was he was really glad that Thomas was walking and talking already. At least he could say he was home and witnessed it himself. He missed Abel's first steps and words because he was in Stockton and now he was going to be missing so much more from both of his lives.  
It was Wednesday afternoon and Jax had just gotten off the phone with Rosen. He had let Rosen know that him and Tara would meet him at his office on Friday, that he did not want all the good memories the boys had of their Dad tarnished by him being arrested not only in front of them but also in their home. The home they needed to see as their safe place. Rosen agreed stating that he would let Tyne know their plans and ended the call by reassuring Jax that everything with his deal was good to go. In fact he was very impressed by the offer and expected something to be snuck in but Tyne stayed true to her word.  
Jax joined his wife in the kitchen where she was getting lunch together for when the boys got up from their naps. "Everything is set for Friday. Rosen agreed it was best to do this at his office and leave the boys out of it. He also said he was pleasantly surprised to find that Tyne's deal was all good, no trying to sneak anything past us. Sounds likes she is going to stay true to her word on this" He said with his best attempt of a smile on his way.  
Tara stopped what she was doing and put her arms around her husband's neck. She looked straight into his eyes with her own sad smile. "I absolutely hate this. I hate that it took all of this to get us on the same page as far as what we want for our family, our boys, our lives together. Most of all I hate that you are going to have to be separated from us for so long. Don't get me wrong, I am grateful that you're doing this to keep me out of trouble and with the boys, I just hate that this is the way you have to do it."  
Jax studied his wife's face for a few moments. Then leaned down to brush his lips against hers briefly, before responding. "I hate it too Tara, but there's no other way except running. And I would never do that to you or our boys. That is no way for you guys to have to live. I want my boys to have every opportunity possible for their futures and this is how I guarantee that. I wont let my poor life choices keep my family from being happy or having the best future possible."  
Tara sighed and pulled Jax closer to her. "I get it and like I said I am grateful, it just sucks. We are going to miss you so much. And my heart hurts thinking of everything you will miss too. I just wish it didn't have to come to this." Tara's voice cracked at the end and Jax knew she was close to tears but he also knew she was trying so hard to hold it all in and not get to emotional in front of him. She was trying to protect him from her own heartache.  
"Hey," Jax said trying to get her to look up at him. When she didn't look up, he pushed himself back just enough to use his hand to hold her chin and move her face so their eyes could meet. "Don't do that. Don't take on my misery. I made my choices. If I had listened to you we would be up in Oregon and not having to worry about any of this. This is all on me. I accept that. Now, I need you to accept that, so that you can focus on our boys and keep them from being sad. They are going to need you so much more after Friday. I think this is my punishment for all the bullshit I have gotten away with over the years. It was bound to catch up to me. So if this is what it takes for me to do what is right by my family, then I'm ready to man up and do what I gotta do to wipe my Karma slate clean. So I can be the best Dad and Husband I can when I get out. You and those 2 little monsters in there sleeping are the most important things in this world to me. Now that I am no longer under any one else's influence, I can see how the choices I have made would make you think otherwise. But from now on that wont ever be a problem. No one will ever be able to manipulate me or influence my decisions again. It's all about my family from here on out."  
Tara opened her mouth to respond but was interrupted by a knock at the door. They both looked at each other confused. They weren't expecting any visitors. Jax asked his brothers to wait until Thursday evening so come say goodbye and he was pretty sure they would have called if anything came up. Jax made his way to the front door, with Tara two steps behind him. He looked through the peephole to see who it was, then turned to Tara and shrugged as he opened the door to reveal a woman neither of them recognized. "Can we help you?" Jax asked.  
"Are you Jackson Teller?" she asked. At his nod, she continued, "I was hoping we could speak," she eyed Tara then added "privately."  
Jax looked briefly at Tara, a look of confusion on his face. Then turned back to the stranger, "Anything you have to say to me, can be said in front of my wife. And who the Hell are you anyway?"  
"Mr. Teller, my name is Janice Denver, I am the attorney that was hired to represent your Mother. I am sure you can understand why it wouldn't be appropriate for me to talk freely in front of your wife. I was hoping to discuss a few matters with you regarding your Mother's case" the woman responded with a very hopeful look on her face.  
Tara scoffed in disbelief, muttering something that sounded an awful lot like unbelievable, while Jax literally snorted before angrily responding with "Are you fucking kidding me? She sent you to speak with me? You tell my mother that she no longer has a son or grandkids for that matter. She is currently without any family whatsoever. Nobody in this family, including the SAMCRO family, will be discussing anything about her case with you. We are all on the side of the prosecutor this time. In fact tell her she is lucky Eli was with me that night or I might have actually killed her for trying to kill my wife. I hope she rots in Hell for the rest of her miserable existence and after. If you ever come back here you will be arrested for trespassing and if she ever tries to contact anyone in my family, even through a third party, like her lawyer, I will have a charge added for violating a restraining order. Now get the fuck off my property."  
The woman now looked downright frightened. "I am so sorry, Mr. Teller. I didn't mean to upset you. Your Mother guaranteed me that you would collaborate her claim that this was all a misunderstanding, if I could speak with you privately. I see know that she was definitely wrong."  
"Yes she was definitely wrong. I will not lie for my Mother. I will be taking the stand to testify about what happened that night. But you can be guaranteed that it will not be helping your case. I will be telling the truth." And with he slammed the door on her and turned to look at Tara. "I can't believe she thought I would be on her side. She has to be the most demented person ever. They should lock her up in a mental ward."  
"Calm down baby," Tara tried to sooth him, "we know she is crazy, don't let her get to you. It's not worth it. She is not worth it. Don't let her ruin the little bit of time we have left before you go in."  
Before Jax could even open his mouth to respond they heard a soft voice from behind them say "Daddy your yelling woke me up." They both turned to see a still sleepy Abel standing at the end of the hallway rubbing his sleep filled eyes.  
"Hey Monster," Jax said softly as he walked over to Abel and picked him up. "I am so sorry I woke you up. I didn't mean to get so loud. There was a stranger at the door and they were asking stupid questions, but I shouldn't have gotten so upset."  
Abel picked his head up off Jax's shoulder and looked straight into his Dad's eyes. "But Mommy says there is no such thing as a stupid question. She said all questions are important cause that is how we learn."  
"You're right Monster, all questions are important ones," Jax told his son. "If you don't know something you ask questions so you can learn. Sometimes when you are an adult and other adults ask questions that are none of their business it can be annoying. But you wont understand that until you are older, so for now you just keep asking questions, so you can keep learning and growing that big ole brain in your head." Jax used his finger to tap on Abel's head causing him to giggle, then added "that way, one day, your brain will be as big as Mommy's, cause Mommy has the biggest brain of anyone I know."  
Abel looked to be in thought for a moment. Almost as if he was considering if he was satisfied with his response or not. then smiles from ear to ear and says "Okay Daddy, can we go play together outside now?"  
Jax smiles at the innocence of his oldest son. "Sure, we can do that. Then when Tommy wakes up we will eat lunch with him and Mommy. How does that sound?" With that Abel nods his head in agreement causing Jax to put him back on his feet and smiles at his excitement as he runs to the French doors leading to the backyard. Jax follows his son outside only pausing briefly to place a quick kiss on Tara's temple on his way past her.  
A moment after Jax closes the door behind him, Tara wanders over to the doors to look out over her backyard. As she watches her oldest son and her husband play what she assumes is some made up version of tag that her boys invented themselves, the tears silently begin to flow at a steady pace. She allows herself a couple minutes of emotional time. A couple minutes to release some of the pent up frustration that she has been holding in. She refuses to ruin any of her time left with Jax due to her being an emotional mess. She will have plenty of time for being emotional soon enough. Right now she needs to be strong and hold it all together for Jax. She does not want for him to add anymore pressure on himself then he already does. After a couple minutes she turns away from the doors and frantically wipes away her tears as she goes back to the kitchen to finish making lunch.  
After lunch the family of 4 took the 1.5 hour trip to Oakland. Jax told Tara he had something special planned for them but wouldn't tell her what. They spent the trip there laughing and singing nursery rhymes. Tara's eyes grew wide and her smile stretched from ear to ear, as she looked over at Jax and questioned "This is seriously your plan?" Jax's smile was just as big as he nodded his response. Tara in return was more excited then he could ever remember seeing her as she turned to the boys in the backseat and said "look Monsters, Daddy's surprise was our first trip to the Zoo. Isn't that exciting?"  
Both boys cheered in response and started talking to each other about what kind of animals they wanted to see. Tara turned to smile at Jax and said "This is the best surprise ever. You just made me the happiest I have ever been. And this is a day our boys will never forget. I just wish I had known to bring my camera." Jax smiled back and after parking the car told Tara to sit still for a moment as he got out of the car and retrieved a backpack out of the back. He got back in and handed the back pack to Tara. Tara laughed when she opened the bag to reveal her camera, a change of clothes for each boy and plenty of snacks and juice boxes. "Well, you just thought of everything, haven't you? Seriously Jax this is amazing. I don't think my heart can get any fuller then it is right now. I love you so much."


	11. Chapter 10

After a very long and exciting afternoon at the zoo, Tara decided it was time to call it a day. Both boys, even though were clearly exhausted, whined and fussed the whole way out to the car. Even though they could barely keep their eyes open, they were insisting that they weren't ready to leave yet. They found a small diner not far from the zoo and stopped for dinner before heading back to Charming.

Tara hadn't stopped smiling since they first arrived at the zoo. The whole afternoon had been like a dream come true for her. Her whole family was together and they were all blissfully happy. Deep down she knew it was a small escape from their unfortunate reality. She knew it wasn't going to last, but she was determined to make sure she made the best of it and allowed her kids the best possible memories before it all came crashing down around them.

As Tara watched the three most important people in the World, to her, happily eating their dinners and discussing which animal was the best, she couldn't help but chuckle. They had the same argument numerous times at the zoo. Abel insisting that the giraffes were the best, Thomas insisted on the monkeys taking that title and of course Jax (ever the logical one) argued playfully with his two toddler boys that it had to be the lions because they were the strongest. This argument had continued all afternoon, even while picking out their stuffed animal souvenirs from the gift shop. All three had attempted numerous times to drag Tara into the argument but she refused to take a side, each time saying that all three were great choices to be the best animal. They had left the gift shop with a stuffed monkey for Thomas, a new stuffed giraffe for Abel, a stuffed lion for Jax (he very seriously pointed out that the lion being the strongest, would be able to protect the house when he wasn't home) and of course Tara opted for a t-shirt making sure that it had all three of their animals amongst the numerous animals surrounding the "Oakland Zoo" logo on the front of the shirt. Jax of course found it amusing and laughed at her decision, commenting on how she was making the "safe" choice, being "Switzerland".

For Tara, the day had been pretty perfect. She couldn't imagine any way to make the day any better. The boys fell asleep on the way home and Jax carried them in, one by one, carefully putting them in their beds without waking them up. Exhausted as they were from their trip to the zoo, Tara was even able to change them into pajamas with out waking them up. And it was definitely a heart bursting moment when she noticed that even in their sleep, the boys were still smiling from ear to ear.

Tara made her way to the living room and found Jax on the couch, head back, eyes closed and the same ear to ear smile across his face. She stopped short and admired him from a distance. The look of peaceful happiness he currently had was something she wanted to commit to memory. Something she never wanted to forget. After a few moments he must have sensed her silently watching him and without opening his eyes he asks "Are you just going to stand there or are you going to come sit down and relax with me?"

Tara wordlessly crossed the room and sat down on the couch cuddling up to Jax. After a few moments of hearing nothing but each others breathing, Tara finally spoke up. "So, I know we are both avoiding this, but I think we should discuss a few things. You turn yourself in to Patterson in two days and as much as I don't want to ruin our perfect family day, I think we should talk."

Jax sighed, but nodded his head. "I get it Tara, I do. I even agree, it will be easier to discuss certain things while we have some privacy. To start with I need you to know that you are free to make any choice you need to be happy and to keep my boys happy and healthy. No matter what or where those choices may be." When Tara started to interrupt him, he hurried to continue "Hold on, let me just say this." At her nodding her head, he continued again "I am not telling you to leave Charming, that is definitely not what I want. However, if there is ever a time that it is what you or the boys need, then I need to know that you understand you are free to make that choice, with my blessing and the club's blessing. We will do everything possible to make any transition easy for you. Do you understand that? That you are free to make all decisions as you see fit? It is important to me that you understand this and don't feel like you did before."

Tara smiled sadly at Jax in response. "Of course I understand Jackson. But I need you to understand that you are a priority to this family too. As long as we are still safe here, we will be right here in Charming. Visiting you every week and waiting for you to return home to your family. I will not abandon you. You and our boys are what make up heart. I need all three of my guys in order for my heart to continue to beat. I am not going anywhere unless it is my only option and even then we will be waiting for you to come home."

Jax hugged Tara closer to him and kissed the top of her head. "Thank you for that. Next we need to discuss finances. All of my shares of everything will come directly to you. Chibbs will make sure that you my share of any business money weekly and my club money comes once a month. You are free to review any of the books at any time if you feel something is not right. But I trust Chibbs and I know he wouldn't knowingly hold out on you. Chibbs has his orders and the club was already briefed. There are not to hold anything for me to have a nest egg when I get out. That is normally how it works, but not this time. They will put some moneys on my books at whatever facility I am at and everything else goes to you. I wont have you struggling with money while I am gone."

Tara took his small pause to speak up. "I don't need that money Jackson. Even with my current reduced income, I make enough at St. Thomas to pay our way."

"I know, Tara" Jax reassured her. "But for my peace of mind I need to know I contributed in some way. If I can't physically be here to help, I need to know that I helped financially. I can't go in with that worry in me. Ust the money to pay bills or don't. Save it, invest it, hell put in the safety deposit box for a rainy day. I don't care. I just need to know that you have it and can access it if needed."

"Okay, I will take it. I can't say yet what I will do with it. But to ease your worry I will take it without complaint" Tara conceded. She did not want him to worry about money and be distracted while he was gone. She needed him focused on his survival. "And with that concession I think we should table any further serious discussions. WE have talked about my freedom and money. Everything else can wait and be discussed later on, after you are inside. I just want to relax with you and love you for the rest of the night. Please, Jax. Just love me."

Jax stared into Tara's pleading eyes for a few long moments then released a breathe he was not even aware he was holding in. "Of course babe, we can discuss everything else later on." Jax then pulled Tara closer to him until she was straddling him. He grabbed the back of her head and pulled her mouth down to his in a passionate kiss and broke it off only long enough to whisper "I will always love you Tara Grace Teller. Always." He then resumed their kiss only breaking it again to pick her up and carry her into their room where they showed it each other just how much they love each other well into the morning hours.

A/N - Sorry about the long wait for this update. Truth is there really is no good excuse. Just between being discouraged from loosing everything I had already written when my computer crashed and being busy with changes in my job and a few family issues it took a lot longer then I had hoped. I am hoping to be able to keep up a more consistent schedule of updating now that a few things have settled down in my life. Hope you enjoy this new chapter and I hope to have the next one up in the next 2-4 weeks. Thanks reading and as I have said before this is my first time writing so let me know how I can improve my writing/story, constructive criticism is always welcome!


	12. Chapter 11

Tara woke Thursday morning long before the rest of the house. She laid there in the dark, wrapped up in Jax's arms, taking in the deafening silence. Glancing over at the clock she realized it was only 5am, which explained why she was the only one awake. She quietly and carefully maneuvered herself out of Jax's grasp and out of the bed with out waking him up. She then managed to shower and dress all without waking her sound asleep husband. She silently made her way into the kitchen to start a pot of coffee. While waiting for her coffee she started to think about breakfast and what she could make that would make this breakfast special for Jax, seeing as after today he would only have one more breakfast at home before he would be eating nothing but prison food. And that's when it hit her and hit her hard. Replaying that thought over and over again in her head. One more breakfast. A day and a half as a happy family of four. That's it. She had a day and a half left with Jax. Her boys only had a day and a half left with their Dad. Their happy family of four would be a sad and lonely family of three in just a day and a half.

She could feel the tears running down her face at a speed faster then she would be able to wipe them away if she even tried to. Which she didn't. She felt numb, she couldn't move. All she could do was stand there, crying and listening to the words "a day and a half" repeating over and over again in her head. She tried in vain to pull herself together. She tried reminding herself why he was doing this to begin with. To keep her with their boys. To keep her from getting charged with murder. To keep their family safe. But that only succeeded in making her feel worse. It reminded her that it was all her fault he was going back to Stockton. She was trying so hard to hold it all in until he was away. To keep him from seeing her breakdown over this struggle she was having emotionally. She wanted to keep up the illusion that she was his tough as nails old lady and that he wouldn't have to worry about her while he was gone. But it all was just too much weight on her emotionally to not have to release some of it. She couldn't hold it in anymore. She had to face the reality of her current situation. Of course she was going to survive, she had no doubts about that. It would be hard, but she would figure it out. She truly believed she would. But knowing that and whole heartedly believing her and the boys would adjust and survive together, leaning on each other, did not change how painful it was to think about how Jax would not be there with them physically. No ballgames, no school awards or plays, no karate classes would he be able to attend to cheer his sons on and beam with pride at their accomplishments. He wouldn't be able to teach them how to ride a bike with out training wheels or be there to encourage them to get back on and try again after falling down.

Tara knew these thoughts weren't getting her anywhere. She knew she needed to stop the onslaught of tears that were currently running down her face. She needed to lock all the emotions up at least until Jax had turned himself in and couldn't see her loose it, like she currently was. She remembers how hard it was to think she was going to prison, but she could only imagine how much worse it was to know with out a doubt that you were going in. She was this distraught over loosing one third of her heart but Jax was loosing his whole heart. His wife and both his boys would be out of his reach. She understood that it was a pain she couldn't begin to imagine.

After pulling herself together, Tara made her way to the sink to splash some water on her face. It was getting close to 7am. She knew her boys would be waking up soon and she did not want them to see her like this. Once she had calmed down and rinsed all traces of her early morning moment of weakness off her face, she started to preheat the oven and threw some eggs on the stove top. Once the oven was heated she put the bacon in and started on some toast.

She had just put the last of breakfast in the warmer when she heard the first signs of life in the house. She walked back towards the boys' bedrooms to find Thomas in Abel's room, playfully bouncing on his older brother's bed while giggling in an attempt to get Abel out of bed. Abel seemed very unpleased with this and was periodically swatting his hand at Thomas without actually opening his eyes. He eventually opened them and with an exasperated sigh said "Geez Tommy, why don't you just lay back down and sleep here in my bed?" Tara waited to hear Tommy's reply. She figured if he took the bait and actually laid down she would just leave them to get some more sleep. But when Tommy's response was to throw a stuffed animal at his brother Tara knew she needed to intervene.

She fully entered the room with a bright smile on her face and said "And what is going on in here?" Tommy's response was a fit of laughter as he ran toward her and wrapped himself around her legs. Abel only moaned whiled while pulling his pillow over his eyes. Tara chuckled at her oldest son's response before picking up her youngest son and saying "Why don't we get you ready for the day while Abel gets a little more sleep?" Again the only response she got from Tommy was more laughter.

She got Tommy ready for the day, then brought him into the kitchen. She had just put his breakfast on the table in front of him when she looked up to see Abel rubbing his eyes and pulling out the chair next to his brother. He plopped down in the chair with a heavy thud and put his head down on the table. Tara once again couldn't help but chuckle at her son's dramatic antics and asked "Good Morning Baby, you ready for breakfast?" Abel responded by nodding his head against the table and Tara made her way back to the stove to make him a plate too.

Jax entered the kitchen a few moments later, freshly showered and dressed for the day. He smiled at the scene he found. Tommy was siting in his chair with a plate of food in front of him, smiling happily while he shoved his mouth so full he could hardly chew. Abel was sitting next to him with his head down on the table and his eyes closed. He walked past both boys, stopping briefly to bend down and kiss both of them on their heads and continued over to the stove where Tara looked to be making another plate, presumably for Abel. He snuck up behind her, wrapped his arms around her waist and trailed a line of kisses up her neck, stopping right behind her ear to whisper "Good Morning Gorgeous."

Tara, who had initially jumped in surprise when he came up behind her, automatically relaxed back into him and sighed when his lips met her skin. She put Abel's plate down on the counter and turned around in Jax's arms. "Good Morning Handsome," she replied as she wrapped her arms around his neck and pulled him down enough for their lips to meet in a sweet kiss. "Breakfast is ready, why don't you bring Mr. Over Dramatic over there his plate, while I make yours and mine?" Jax smiled and nodded in response, reached behind her and picked up Abel's plate before giving her one more lingering kiss and heading over to the table with his boys. He sat the plate down next to Abel's head and shook his shoulder to alert him to his breakfast. Abel smiled up at is Dad and then began eating. After Jax sat down on the other side of the table, he watched his boys eating breakfast. Both boys blissfully unaware that after tomorrow they wouldn't be sharing any of their meals at the kitchen table with their father. He looked up and smiled when Tara when Tara set his plate down in front of him before she sat down next to him with her own plate. She smiled back before starting to eat her own breakfast. All Jax could think was how perfect this moment was. He wished he would have come to this realization about his mother and Clay years ago. Hell, he wished he would have listened to Tara when they were still teenagers. He recently had been wondering what would life be like if he had left Charming with her all those years ago. But he couldn't change that now and there was no way to know if things would have been any better. All he could do was move forward and make sure that he made the right choices from here on out. Make sure that his boys grew up with every opportunity they should have. They deserved to have a wide open future and be whatever and whoever they wanted to be. He would do everything in his power to make sure they did not have the club thrust at them and were not brainwashed into believing that was the only future they had, to be made to think they had no other options. He would not do to them what his mother did to him. He would easily give his life to make sure that his boys did not have to go through the same things he went through. He wanted better for his boys. They would not be punished for his past bad decisions. He would make sure that from here forward his boys and Tara were always his first priority. His family was the one thing he had done right in his life and he would protect them at any cost. Looking back would get him nowhere, he would continue to look forward from now on. That was his only way to survive this time separated from his family.


	13. Chapter 12

Thursday brought a rough morning for both Jax and Tara. Tara had an emotional meltdown that morning and then struggled to keep herself emotionally in check for the rest of the day. Jax as well had a breakdown that morning while showering to get ready for the day, grateful that the sounds of the shower would have drown out any of the sobs he was trying to hold in. He continued to struggle throughout breakfast to hold it together emotionally. He couldn't let Tara see him weak or let the boys sense something was wrong, but with the thoughts running through his head, while he watched his family eating their breakfast, he almost couldn't hold it in.

They finished up breakfast then Jax got Abel ready for the day while Tara cleaned up the kitchen. After a few hours of watching cartoons and just hanging around the house they decided to take the boys to the park. Jax and Tara relaxed on a blanket, spread out in the grass by the playground. They simply talked about anything and everything that wasn't serious while keeping a watchful eye on the boys as they happily played. After a while the boys convinced Jax to play their version of kickball with them. Tara stayed on the blanket watching her three guys, running around and kicking the ball back and forth to each other. All three laughing the whole time. Tara loved seeing the pure joy and happiness on her boys faces as they played and spent time with their father who was just as happy to be with them. She felt the pain in her heart though, at the thought that it would be many years, if ever, that she would see them like this again. If the judge sentenced Jax to the full 20 years of his deal with Patterson, even Thomas would be too old for these kinds of games when he came home. Tara took her camera out fo the bag next to her on the blanket and snapped some pictures of her family having fun together before taking a few short videos as well.

After spending a few hours playing at the park and having a picnic lunch that Tara packed before leaving the house, they headed to Scoops for some ice cream before heading home. The family of four sat in a booth next to the front windows enjoying their ice cream together. Both Abel and Thomas were making a huge mess all over themselves and their clothes, much to Jax's amusement and Tara's annoyance. This was a real treat for the boys. Normally when they got ice cream Tara insisted that it be in a cup so they didn't have to hold it and drip it everywhere and she was constantly wiping their hands and faces to minimize the mess at the end of the treat. But Daddy bought them cones today and was definitely enjoying his time watching his boys have fun and make a huge mess.

After thoroughly enjoying their ice cream Tara brought the boys into the bathroom to try to clean them up, while Jax went upstairs to talk to Chibs about everyone coming by the house after dinner tonight. After arranging things with Chibs, Jax brought his family home for their last evening together in the near future.

The family of four was watching TV on the couch and munching on popcorn when there was a soft knock on the door. Jax got up to open the door and was surprised to see Nero on the other side. "Hey Mano, sorry to bother you. I know you probably have a busy today. I just need a few minutes of your time. Strictly personal, I promise no business talk." Jax nodded his head and opened the door further as an invitation for Nero to enter. Nero followed Jax into the living room and smiled at Tara still sitting on the couch with the boys. "Hey Mama, I'm sorry to interrupt your family time. This wont take long I promise, but I do need to speak to both of you."

Tara genuinely smiled up at Nero, she really did the like the man, even if he did have questionable taste in women. "Not a problem, Nero. It's good to see you. The boys are past due for a nap. Let me just put them both down and then we can talk." Tara said as she picked Thomas up and held her hand out for Abel to follow her down the hall.

Nero and Jax both sat on separate couches and Nero asked "How you doing Mano? Were you able to take care of all the loose ends you needed to tie up?"

"Pretty sure that today has been the hardest so far, but that only scares me for tomorrow. And anything that wasn't taken care of yet can be handled later on. All the important shit has been sorted out." Jax sighed then finished by saying "The rest we will figure out as we go."

Nero nodded before saying, "I wish there was another way. But I know and respect why you are doing this. I meant what I said, I will do anything I can to help you and your family. You guys are my family too. Anything you or Tara need I am just a phone call away. I love you guys."

I appreciate that brother. I love you too. It's good to know that so many people will have my family's back if needed, when I wont be able to be here to protect them. I know we're heading legit and there is less to worry about, but that wont keep me from spending all my time worrying about my family. Eliminating even just a small amount of that worry will go a long way in helping to keep me whole inside. Keeping me focused on my own survival." Jax finished saying around the same time Tara reentered the room taking a seat on the couch next to Jax. Jax smiled at his wife, putting his arm around her and pulling her in closer to his side. He turned back to Nero, "So brother, what's going on? What's so important for you to come all the way here today?"

Nero took a deep breath before starting to tell them why he was there. "I really hate to have to come here to tell you this. Especially today, knowing what you have going on tomorrow. But I had a visit from a Janice Denver this morning. She is..."

Tara felt Jax tense up at the mention of Gemma lawyer and was not surprised at the venom in his voice when he cut Nero off by angrily saying "We know who the bitch is. She already stopped by here, spewing her bullshit or I guess Gemma's bullshit. I already told her my opinion on Gemma rotting in Hell and let her know that no one will be testifying on her behalf. So I don't really know why you are here now, if you are here on her behalf then you can rot in Hell along with Gemma."

Tara could tell that Jax's anger was rising, so she grabbed his hand to get his attention and when he turned to look at her she smiled sweetly at him before calmly saying, "Calm down babe. Nero knows how we feel about your Mother. Relax and let him explain why he is here." A quick nod was all the response he provided so she leaned over and pressed her lips to his, pulling away only when she felt the tension start to melt away.

Jax smiled sadly at Tara and quietly said "Thank you, I love you." Then turned back to Nero, "Sorry man, I am still pissed at the fact that she is still trying to manipulate me. She told her lawyer if she could get me alone to talk I would back her story. I would confirm her story that she was innocent and never tried to kill my wife. I'm sure you can understand why that upsets me."

Nero sighed heavily before telling Jax "I completely understand. I am definitely not here on her behalf. I had a long talk with her lawyer before sending her on her way. I wanted to try to get as much information as possible before I told her that no matter how much I love Gemma I would never get up there and lie for her. What she tried to do is unforgiveable. Not just by Tara, but by everyone who loves her, which includes me. I doubt her lawyer will be coming back around. But I wanted to come by and tell you what I learned before I kicked her out. Figured it might help in the criminal case against her."

Jax tightened his grip on Tara's hand. She glanced at him and noticed he looked almost eager to hear what Nero had to say. "Thank you, Nero" she spoke up "I know how hard this has to be for you. I know how much she means to you. I am grateful for anything you can tell us that could help. I can't have her getting out of this. If she is out walking around while Jax is locked up, he will never stop worrying about me. He needs to stay focused on his own survival, not problems on the outside."

"I know Mama," Nero looked down sadly before continuing "It's probably not as hard as you think. I do love Gemma. Still after all the bad shit she's done, I can't seem to stop loving her. It hurts like Hell to be able to stop loving her, but I can't stand behind her after what she has done. And I can't let her try to weasel her way out of being punished for her actions but turning this around on you guys. Which is exactly what she is trying to do. Seems like when she couldn't get Jax on her side she changed her strategy. She is now going to try to say that you are both in on everything together. You are both setting her up. Evidently everything is technically in Jax's name. TM, her house and a very substantial savings account from JT. She was supposed to turn it all over to him when he turned 18. JT had saved for your future. College, a home, whatever you wanted or needed. You were also his only heir and sole beneficiary. He had two very large life insurance policies. The life insurance money was put into the savings account. Since JT was gone and you were still a minor Gemma's name replaced his on the account. You weren't old enough to have the house or business in your name so it was set up in a trust for you to receive when you turned 18. Gemma was also conservator to the trust. I can only imagine that it was her job to hand everything over to you when your 18 birthday came around."

Jax was confused and his face clearly showed that confusion. His brow was furrowed when he finally said his thoughts out loud. "It sounds like Gemma may not have known that everything was going to be left to me. Like maybe he made some changes at the last minute when he realized she was with Clay. But what does this have to do with her defense. How could her admitting that she illegally kept control of my money, my business and my property help her case when she goes to trial? Wouldn't that hurt her character? Show the jury and judge how conniving and controlling she really is?"

"I was confused at first too, Mano. But the more the lawyer talked the more it made sense. I realized what she was doing. The new defense is that Tara somehow found out what Gemma had done. She knew all about the money, the house and the business being yours. Her and Gemma got into a verbal argument because she was blackmailing Gemma to keep her away from her son and grandsons. Jax overheard what was said between them and both of you came up with this story about her trying to kill Tara to have her put away as her punishment for not being honest with her son. And evidently once you have access to all the money you will be paying Sherriff Roosevelt for his statement that backs your statements. And according to her lawyer Gemma is adamant that the whole plan was all Tara's doing. Poor Jax is being manipulated by Tara cause he is afraid she will keep his sons from him. I'm sorry Mano. I know this is a lot to take in. But I also know that Gemma's story has to have some truth to it because the lawyers will need to be able prove things. Meaning the house, the business and the money more than likely really are all yours. Besides telling the DA this information to prepare for the trial, you may want to have your lawyer start looking into things too."

Jax was quiet while he took it all in. Tara was silent as well. Not actually shocked that Gemma would do something like this, she knew Gemma would go to any length to control Jax's life as much as possible. She was however shocked that Gemma believed that this story would get her out her charges. Jax really didn't know how to respond to the information that he just heard. "That is a lot to take in," he finally said. "Thanks for bringing it to me. We will let Patterson know so she can be prepared. I'll also have Rosen look into it. See what he can find out."

Tara gave Jax a small smile, then turned back to Nero and Thanked him again for coming to tell them. Nero got up to leave reminding them again to let him know if there was anything he could do to help. Tara studied Jax for a few moments before she finally decided to ask what was going on in his head. She wanted to know what he was thinking about and what he wanted to do with this information. "I really don't know what to think, babe. It's so much to think about. I am so confused. If there is truth to her claims, why would she do it to begin with? I mean she knew I would never make her leave her home or push her out of the business. I just can't think of any good reason for her to keep these things from me."

"I think it actually makes perfect sense." At Jax's confused look Tara continued, "If you had access to the money, your future would have been wide open, you would have had every opportunity possible. If she kept you from knowing that you owned TM, kept you from knowing that you had a saving account with a shit load of money from your Dad then she could continue to pull all the puppet strings. She was terrified of loosing that control. She couldn't let you know it was all yours. She couldn't let you have control of your own life. If you did, you may not make the choices that she wanted you to make. You may actually had the chance to find your path in life. Like JT wanted for you."

Jax looked thoughtful for a moment. "I guess that makes sense. We will have Rosen dig into it and see what he can find for us. Maybe thanks to my Dad both my boys will have a full College fund before they have even started school. We will also talk to Patterson about it when we meet tomorrow. Make sure she is at least prepared if it is to come up in court. But right now, I just want to forget about it. I want to spend the next 24 hours with my family, with out having to think about all the bullshit Gemma has done and what she still has yet to do. We have much better things to do with the little time we have left."

"Yes," Tara replied "we will work all that out later. Right now I estimate we have about an hour before both of our monsters are awake and I definitely think of better ways to spend that hour then thinking about Gemma." Jax's response was that infamous Teller smirk as Tara stood and pulled Jax's hand to get him to stand and follow her to their bedroom to spend the next hour completely lost in each other while the boys continued to nap.


End file.
